Mounted search and rescue

[Marie Lester <marie.lester@gmail.com>]

Lisa,

It has been interesting to read about your concerns regarding the development of a unit that has well trained and committed members.  Many good comments have come your way, but one of my favorites is what Una wrote:
But, SAR is a test of courage and commitment, and someone who cannot muster
enough "mustard" to face an easy exam likely does not have what it
takes to face a SAR mission.

Our unit had its growing pains, too.  There were some who joined and were not necessarily focused on the deliberating, mental  and physical work of SAR.  Over time, the number of trainings and actual searches weeded these people out.  If they did not meet our standards, they were not qualified to search.  Riding in parades or working parking lot duty was not enough.  Tough training on horseback in unfavorable conditions, coupled with classroom work became a part of our training, and many did not like the latter.

We currently have a mentor assigned to each new member until that member has completed training and read our Training Manual.  The idea of taking an exam to assure that this has been done seems to be a good one. 

We are located east of the Columbus, Ohio, area.   If you would like to continue correspondence and share some ideas, please write to our web address:  findme@comsusearch.org

Marie
COMSU

On Thu, Feb 12, 2009 at 5:07 PM, <horsedriver54@woh.rr.com> wrote:

Hello I am new to this format.  We have a Search and Rescue Team in Springfield Ohio.  We have been in existence since Aug. 2005.  Our problem is when we have people that want to join they don't always work out. What I would like to ask the group is how do you select new members?  do they have to ride with a mentor, try out, etc.  We are training for the parade and parking lot patrol and wherever the Sheriff needs us.  We are all volunteers and want to keep our number to around 14-15. Any help in how your group determines if a person will work out would be appreciated.  I know you can't tell in the long run how a person will step up and help but if a person comes in, for example, and has very aggressive horsemanship, would you invite her in?  thanks for any help       lisa
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