Cal-ESAR Training Program

California Explorer Search and Rescue (Cal-ESAR) is a wilderness and urban Search and Rescue (SAR) team founded to respond to searches and other emergencies throughout the State of California. Cal-ESAR consists of approximately 100 individuals (85 adults and 15 young adults (16-21) who volunteer their services and time to the citizens of California. Cal-ESAR supports scouting as a 
BSA Explorer Post, which was originally chartered in 1969.

Cal-ESAR is a mutual aid resource and deployed at the request of the California State Office of Emergency Services.  We respond where needed throughout Northern California and are prepared to be deployed and self supported for 72 hours.  We are are also available to provide training wherever needed throughout the state upon request.

www.cal-esar.org
The Cal-ESAR training program is designed to provide members with a means of improving their skills and level of confidence and response. All courses are taught by Cal-ESAR trainers, along with assistance from personnel from other agencies. The full ESAR Basic Training Course is approximately 180 hours, and is designed to provide someone with no prior experience all the training needed to become a competent field-ready ground searcher. You can get an overview of the training course content by attending an Information and Introduction Night.

Successful completion of the first 4 modules of this program are designed to serve as an introduction to Search & Rescue, and to give the trainee the basic skills needed for a limited-scope Bay Area-type search. 

For more information on the program, follow the links for the courses described below, or contact us.

Cal-ESAR Training Schedule


Training Schedule 2018-19

Candidate Orientation- September 29
Outdoor Skills Training- October 13-14
First Aid and CPR - December 8-9
Winter Travel and Survival - February TBD (Optional)
SAR Skills Evaluation - April 13-14
Yosemite PSAR- May TBD

In addition, team members are expected to complete the following online course prior to SAR skills in January:

ICS 100a: Introduction to the Incident Command System (ICS)

Intro Night 2017


Other Resources

There are many other materials available to you from various external sites, you can get to them below or via the External Links option on the Navigation Bar. Because they are external links, we can not guarantee content.  If you have issues with any of these links, contact us.

External Links

  • Poison Oak: Collected References What does Poison Oak look like?PhotographsMore Photographs
    Posted Sep 18, 2013, 9:44 PM by Ken Buscho
  • Ticks: Collected articles Each year there is discussion about ticks. Here are some websites that describe ticks, lyme disease, prevention and treatment. Like lots of other things, an ounceof prevention is worth a pound of cure. When properly prepared and informed, we needn't be overly concerned about ticks. Here are the websites:How to Avoid Ticks When HikingHow do I identify different ticks?"Why this year's tick season will be really bad", TODAY Health, April 13 2012
    Posted Sep 18, 2013, 9:46 PM by Ken Buscho
  • Be Safe Outdoors The San Mateo County Parks and Recreation Department has an excellent guide to help you be safe while hiking and camping.  You can find the link here. It covers plants, critters and other things that might impact you.
    Posted Sep 4, 2009, 12:15 PM by Ken Buscho
  • Ready.Gov http://www.ready.gov is run by FEMA.  It is set up to help businesses and private citizens prepare for the Big One.Keywords:  FEMA, Disaster Preperation
    Posted Sep 18, 2013, 9:41 PM by Ken Buscho
Showing posts 1 - 4 of 4. View more »


A Final Training Note

Personal Responsibilities - Perhaps it could (or should) go without saying, but members in training should not engage in illegal activities. Aside from the moral, ethical and social implications bear in mind that we serve the law enforcement community of California. Your actions are often under the scrutiny of individuals who are trained to notice and deal promptly with illegal or questionable activities. If you have anything to hide, this is emphatically not the organization for you!

Use of alcohol or illegal drugs during any Unit activity is expressly prohibited, and will result in immediate dismissal from the activity and bring you up before a Unit Board of Review.

Because of the nature of our work, time is often critical for us. As a member, it is your responsibility to remain ready for a search at any time. This includes having your pack ready to go, food and water available, and your uniform washed and dried. It also means you need to keep yourself in good physical shape, and be ready for the rigors of a SAR.

Our Explorer members are an essential element of our group. We recognize that they are not always given the respect and consideration that is their due. Unfortunately, this lack of respect is often based strictly on their age and the appearance of youth, and not on ability or performance. This Unit endeavors at all times to counteract this prejudice, and to provide ample opportunities for our youth to develop and demonstrate their capabilities.

Safety of the individual is our number one concern. While it is important to render aid when we can, we will not swap lives; a dead or injured searcher is no help to anyone.