JOIN THE SEARCH & RESCUE TEAM!

Thank you for your interest in joining the Contra Costa County Sheriff Search & Rescue Team.

The best way to find out about us is to attend one of our New Member Orientations.  They last about 90 minutes and no reservations are required.  Each Orientation starts at 7:00 pm on these dates for 2012: Feb 2nd, March 1st, April 5th, May 3rd, and June 7th.  

Orientations are held at:

Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) Building

50 Glacier Drive

Martinez, CA 94554

Applications

We will begin accepting applications on Thursday Feb 2 and the last date to turn one in for 2012 is Sunday July 1st.

Our Applications are given out at the Orientations, but please download and fill out the New Member Interest Sheet: SARInterest.pdf. You can email it to applicants@contracostasar.org, mail it or drop it off at: Office of Emergency Services, 50 Glacier Drive, Martinez, CA, 94553  Attn: SAR

Things to know before joining 

• We are an all volunteer non-profit organization.  We do not get paid for our work.
• No experience is necessary.  We are looking for the right attitude and persons with a genuine desire to help others without thought of reward or recognition. 
• Our typical searches are often late at night and may last into the early morning hours.  You come home tired, muddy, and sweaty, but with pride knowing that you helped a person in need. 
• Each potential team member must first complete & pass our application process consisting of the application, a written statement of interest, an Oral Board Interview, submitting 3 character references, and a background check performed by the Office of the Sheriff. 
• We are non-sworn members of the Office of the Contra Costa Sheriff. Since we wear their uniform, we must be neat & clean with proper haircut and hair length. 
• Each Team Member provides their own gear except for radios and some safety gear. 
• We have a Youth Explorer Team for ages 14-18.  The Explorers receive the exact same training and testing as the Adults. There is no age limit for regular members.
• We are looking for a minimum average of 10 hours per month from our team members.  
• Our Team meets once a month on the second Saturday of each month for a Full Team Training.  It is very important that a potential team member be available for the vast majority of these days (Feb11-Mar10-Apr14-May12-June9-July14-Aug11-Sept8-Oct13-Nov10-Dec8).
• The next entry level Academy begins in Sept. 2012 and covers 52 hours of instruction over 3 weeks.  Most classes are on Tuesday & Thursday evenings and Saturday days.  There is a class size limit to this Academy and we cannot accept all applicants into this program.  The Academy schedule will be issued at the Orientations. 
• Our minimum Fitness Requirements will be discussed at the Orientations, but a potential team member must feel that they are capable of hiking 2.5 miles over varied terrain with a 20 lb. back pack in under 75 minutes.  At times our work is very physical and demanding so potential applicants must evaluate their fitness level before applying. 

Thank you for your interest in Search & Rescue.  For additional information, email  applicants@contracostasar.org