All applicants must:

• Pass a police background investigation.
• Satisfactorily complete our Oregon State Sheriff's Association certified Search and Rescue Academy. (see below)
• Become First Aid and CPR certified.

Minimum Age: 21

 

Probation Period: Six-month internship. During internship, trainees must complete a minimum of 15 hours of training, attend 4 of 6 monthly evening meetings and 4 of 6 Saturday field training exercises. During the internship period, members are eligible to participate in lost person searches as an observer/trainee.

 

Required Training: All members must complete 30 hours of Oregon State Sheriff's Association (OSSA) required training each year. Examples of the types of training are:

• Map and compass
• First Aid
• Locating downed aircraft
• Treating hypothermia and heat stroke
• Crime scene procedures
• Spotting booby traps and drug sites
• Knots and ropes for evacuation
• Search procedures and patterns
• Person tracking techniques
• Wilderness survival

Search and Rescue Academy:Jeep Patrol Applicants must, in their first year of membership, attend the annual Marion County Sheriff's Office SAR Academy (usually held in late Winter-early Spring) and pass its written examination to obtain SAR Certification. This is a large time commitment with over 90 hours of in-depth training pertinent to all teams. The complete Academy only has to be taken once (assuming you pass the final exam), but parts of it are frequently recommended to members as good refresher courses.