After "How do I join?" and "I would like a full-time job in SAR, can you help?" this is one of the more common questions we get on our feedback form. We're sorry, our patches are never made available to non-members. We give them out to people only when they achieve full active-member status on the team.

SAR missions are conducted by non-paid volunteers under the authority of the State Police. There is a State statute known as the 'SAR law' that sanctions the system, and a document called the 'SAR Plan' that details it. The Incident Command System (ICS) is mandated for running SAR missions.

Specially-trained State Police officers decide if the circumstances are appropriate for a SAR mission. If so, trained volunteers (labeled Field Coordinators) are called to manage the mission. They choose the management and field resources for the mission, and ensure that Planning, Logistics, and Operations are performed as required.

Sadly, while we are frequently asked this question, we have not yet learned a way to quit our day jobs. There is exactly one full-time, paid Search and Rescue position in New Mexico, the "State Search and Rescue Resource Officer." This position was filled by Rick Goodman until 2002, was filled by James Newberry (a Cibola SAR alumnus!) from 2002-2009, and is currently (2013) filled by Bob Rodgers. You can learn more about the state's SAR program by visiting the state SAR website. All other Search and Rescue functions in the state are handled by unpaid professionals who volunteer their time. Other states do have paid search and rescue teams, but we have no information about careers in SAR.

In about 110 missions during the period from January 1994 to June 1997, we've been called to provide the following skills (some missions requested multiple skills):

• Ground Search: 85% of the missions;
• Litter Evacuations (including recovering deceased persons): 35% of the missions
• Canine Search: 10% of the missions;
• 4-WD Search: 10% of the missions.

This is widely variable from year to year. Here's a table of how many missions of each type we've been called for since 1 Jan 1996:

Year	Search	Rescue	Litter Evac	Litter Evac/Recovery	Helicopter evac	Total
1996	36	0	9	3	2	50
1997	23	0	2	0	0	25
1998	21	3	4	1	0	29
1999	20	3	3	1	0	27
2000	24	2	6	0	2	34
2001	20	3	2	0	0	25
2002	23	0	4	1	0	28
2003	21	3	8	1	0	33
2004	19	1	4	1	0	25
2005	20	1	2	1	1	25
2006	8	0	4	0	0	12
2007	21	2	2	1	1	27
2008	21	3	3	0	2	29
2009	14	4	1	0	0	19
2010	13	5	3	4	2	27
2011	12	0	2	0	0	14
2012	15	5	4	1	1	26
2013	26	3	1	1	2	33
2014	16	0	2	0	0	18
2015	31	5	1	4	0	41
2016	35	2	1	0	0	38
2017	33	9	4	2	0	48
2018	36	1	5	0	0	42
2019	34	10	0	2	0	46
2020	34	10	5	0	0	49
2021	3	0	0	0	0	3
	579	75	82	24	13	773

In this table, "Search" is a mission initiated to look for a lost person, "Rescue" is a mission initiated to come to the aid of person in a known location, "Litter evac" is a mission in which the team carried an injured subject from the field, "Litter recovery" is a mission to retrieve the remains of a deceased person, and "Helicopter evac" is a mission that ended with the subject being placed into a helicopter and taken to safety.

No - in fact, the majority of assignments at missions are for 'groundpounding' - i.e., searching on foot. However, some teams such as the Albuquerque Mountain Rescue Council do specialize in 'technical rescue', which requires climbing skill, use of mountaineering equipment, and other skills needed to stay safe in a vertical or nearly vertical environment.

No - but some SAR personnel have such credentials. Searchers who are not medically trained are expected to request trained personnel to the scene if the situation dictates. Most SAR personnel know the basics of Wilderness First Aid.

About a quarter of our team is trained for Wilderness First Responder certification. We have a medical director and medical protocol. Those who have EMT or other medical skills could function under the team protocol and medical director. Wilderness skills are different from urban, ambulance-based emergency medicine and members are encouraged to learn the wilderness version of emergency medicine. If you don't have medical skills and are not interested, don't worry, this is not required.

No - people from a variety of occupations volunteer for SAR.

No - but many SAR personnel obtain at least a technician's license, and the team occasionally offers a class to help new members study for the licensing exam. Communications by HAM radio are often the only way to talk to incident management personnel from remote locations. On missions, we also are temporarily licensed to use the State SAR frequency (155.160).

It is not a requirement in general for SAR teams in New Mexico, but CSAR requires its members to be certified according to the latest NM State SAR standard, within one year after joining the team.

Nothing for your time - but you can get reimbursed by the state for the cost of fuel used to travel to/from missions and certain specially-designated trainings. The personal satisfaction of working with others for a common humanitarian purpose is substantial.

Cibola has monthly training sessions. In our current schedule, training events are on the weekend following the business meeting. We alternate Saturdays and Sundays. We train in map and compass, search techniques, litter evacuation technique, low-angle litter handling, tracking, wilderness first aid/responder, winter survival skills, 4WDriving, helicopter safety, radio communications, and assorted other topics.

The three skill areas ALL members are required to learn are map and compass, search techniques, and litter handling. Some members have technical climbing skills and equipment, but this is not required. Some members also train search dogs or ride horseback with the mounted SAR group. We can refer you to other teams that specialize in these areas if you want to join a specialized team. Members are expected to attend at least two trainings every six months to be proficient in the necessary skills.

You need items that will allow you to spend 24 hours safely in the wilderness, in whatever weather that might occur. Expect to spend at least $500 for the basics.

At this time, there are no set criteria for CSAR. But an "average" mission scenario would be the ability to hike for at least 4 hours at a 2 mph rate, in terrain above 8000 feet, carrying a 30-lb. pack.

No - but every search team (usually 3 people) is required to have at least one in order to deploy into the field.

All field personnel are expected to be able to perform SAR duties safely in the wilderness. Inclement weather is one of the realities, and we provide information on how to handle it safely. In addition, our Gear and Clothing requirements go a long way towards aiding in survival. We do not learn how to eat grubs, make fire with two sticks, or things of that nature.

SAR field personnel are expected to be able to be self-sufficient for 24 hours, but usually you're in the field less than 8 hours at a time. The time can lengthen considerably if the subject is found injured deep in the forest, or for certain assignments that can't be completed more quickly.

None are required when you start. We provide training in Orienteering, Communications, Safety, Gear/Clothing concepts, Litter Evacuation techniques, and other topics. Every Cibola member who intends to deploy on field missions is expected to meet our minimum training standard within a year of joining.

The State provides coverage for travel to/from the missions. It also provides liability and accident insurance for mission activities. No other type of insurance coverage is provided.

It varies by team. Cibola SAR has a nonimal one-time application fee, to cover the cost of documents that are provided. Of course, the gear and clothing can get expensive, and radios are the most costly item.

CSAR primarily specializes in groundpounding (searching on foot) - there are other teams that specialize in technical rescue, field communications, home-based communications and logistics, horse search, and dog search. Most teams have members who possess skills in more than just the team specialty. Two of the teams (including CSAR) have extensive gear for litter evacuations. We have a few links to these other teams' websites on our Other Interesting Web Sites page.

Our primary specialty is groundpounding - searching on foot. Our secondary specialty is litter evacuation. Since more than half the team members own 4-WD vehicles, we also provide search capabilities using those vehicles. Certain individuals on the team have other SAR skills, such as technical rescue and dog handling. All CSAR members are required to be capable of groundpounding.

CSAR limits participants to age 18 or over. There are no maximum age limits.

Experience suggests that most dogs are not suitable for search and rescue, but a well trained SAR dog can be a valuable resource. If you are interested in this aspect of search and rescue, there is a local team, Sandia Search Dogs that specializes in SAR dogs, and there are other similar teams around the state. While Cibola SAR does not have a "K9 Unit", we do have some individuals who train SAR dogs; all of these members are also members of Sandia Search Dogs. Dog handlers train quite often: a quick peek at Sandia Search Dogs' training schedule shows scheduled training events twice to three times per week.

CSAR expects you to attend 3 business meetings, 2 trainings, and 1 mission per 6 months. However, members are encouraged to participate much more than this minimum guideline. Experience and training are very important - the subjects of our searches deserve more than just minimal attendance by our members.

The appropriate mission management person calls our team page number. Two team members volunteer to carry the pagers for a month. One of these pager-holders contacts the caller and updates our hotline with the mission information. Then certain team members, who are branch leaders on our phone tree, call the people assigned to their branch. Members who can deploy leave a message on the hotline, and a few minutes later the pager-holder reviews the messages and provides a headcount to the mission management. Generally the callout is completed within 1/2 hour of the page.

CSAR requires an Orientation, generally less than an hour, which is offered to candidates after they have attended three CSAR functions. The Orientation focuses on basic SAR concepts, callout procedures, Gear/Clothing requirements, and team rules. After that, you can ask for a Gear/Clothing check vs. our required list. Upon passing the G/C check, you will be assigned a mentor who will call you for missions. For the first six months, you must always be partnered with a CSAR member on any field assignment. This is not because we don't trust you, it's so you learn how CSAR members conduct themselves on missions.

We averaged 45 missions in 1995 and 1996, and 33 missions in the 1 year period between August 1998 and August 1999. Most missions occur on weekend nights. Attendance is optional, but team members are expected to give SAR activities a high priority.

CSAR responds statewide. Each individual can decide whether to respond to any particular mission. Usually about half our missions are in the Albuquerque area. Generally a search is conducted using local teams for the first 12 hours and then more-distant teams are called.

Unfortunately, sometimes people die before we find them. We treat them with dignity and retrieve their remains for the benefit of their loved ones. Individuals who are sensitive to this aspect of SAR need to evaluate whether they can deal with such a situation. Of course, any mission can turn out to be a body recovery, and participation may be unavoidable once you're in the field on an assignment.

If you're a resident of the Albuquerque, NM area or are planning to move to the Albuquerque area and wish to join Cibola, sign our guestbook and indicate that you're interested in membership. We'll give you a call (or e-mail) and tell you more about CSAR or SAR in general. If you're not a resident of New Mexico right now, please make sure to leave us an e-mail address. We can't generally follow up on out-of-state contacts by telephone.

Getting Started
Newcomers are asked to attend a business meeting first. We meet the second Thursday of every month at 7:15 p.m. at St. Chad's Episcopal Church in Albuquerque. [Note: There is an exception to this general rule! Our December business meeting is rarely on the second Thursday, it is generally combined with a family-friendly holiday party on a weekend. If you are contemplating joining us in December you should be sure to contact the Membership Officer in advance rather than just showing up to St. Chad's on the second Thursday of December!] The church is at 7171 Tennyson NE. From Tramway Blvd, turn west on San Rafael (it's north of Academy and south of Paseo del Norte). Then take your first left onto Tennyson. Go south two blocks and the church is on your right. Here's a map.

Try to come a little early to get some newcomer information and handouts. At 6:30 we often have pre-meeting presentations. You can call or email the Membership Officer to check on this month's schedule. You must be over 18 to start with us. There are no other requirements, but see the questions "What Other Skills are required?" and "How often do you train?" earlier in this file.

New Member Orientation:
You can get out on real search and rescue missions pretty quickly. We ask newcomers to attend three events (training, meetings, hikes) prior to receiving an orientation. This gives you a chance to decide if search and rescue is for you. Once you have attended three events, you will receive an orientation packet and schedule an orientation session with the membership officer. You must also have a gear check to be sure you have the required gear. Once these are completed, you will be added to our call-out phone tree and can attend missions with an active member. During your first year, you must show that you have gained the skills needed by passing three evaluations. These are not difficult if you have attended trainings. The evaluations are in map and compass, search techniques and litter handling. You must also complete the state certification exam for field responders. This is, again, not difficult once you've looked at the material and learned a little compass skill.