[SARA-Members] Training Standards - BAsic SAR

[P. OLMSTEAD]

Topic of Discussion

Basic SAR course.....
SAR Alberta now generally refers to the SAR Fundamentals course as the 
Basic SAR Course and this is is considered the entry level course for 
all and any groups.

  Presently the standard is the Old SAR Fund Course and has consisted of 
the 20 hr basic course with follow up to ensure that the group has
Navigation,
Map/Compass
Survival training and
First Aid / CPR. 
That is the ONLY Standard in SAR Alberta at present despite what is 
generally being taught by various groups.

SAR Alberta will hopefully soon define a new Standard for Basic SAR in 
Alberta.
The Standard and will not name a specific course BUT will name the 
content and skill levels to be achieved.

If necessary we may have to call it an  entry level or Level One and 
create a level two or three. 
Presently some larger groups with in house Instructors are dictating 
their training as the standard whereas other groups with- out full time 
instructors do not have this luxury.  This has resulted in allot of 
mis-information and intense discussion with no possible resolution.

There are many topics of discussion that are ongoing unofficially BUT NO 
group will be discriminated against if they initially take a 20 hr basic 
entry level SAR course as long as they fulfill their mandate to have 
continuous and ongoing training.
We all had to start somewhere!
Training will consist of the above and be recorded with a full time 
group Training Cord and executive.

It is also important that we attempt to define the basic skills required 
as to what a SAR worker is required to know and to have.

Example -  entry level Navigation with Map, Compass and GPS. 
There is only one Certified curriculum for this in Canada presently and 
to date each group teaches only what they can or know.
This certification comes from the Canadian Ecology Collage in Ontario 
and is presently being used by Gov., emergency workers and various 
organizations.  I can instruct this course and issue certificates
Eventually we can train Instructors in Alberta in this course once we 
look at it and determine that it will meet the minimum entry level 
requirement for All SAR people in Alberta.

The same goes for Survival - there is no standardized course so again we 
need to define what we as SAR workers require to stay alive and take 
care of another if we have to.

I invite your email comments or discussion on this and if you have ideas 
to possibly be included for any of these topics please do so. 
Note - this topic is also being pursued Nationally and Provincially and 
is also in the scope of our tasking agencies.  We are no longer alone in 
what we think we need.

I ask that you remember ONE thing about a standard; in my opinion
 - it will be to define the BASIC of what we need to know to do our 
job.  I encourage all participants to meet and exceed those standards.

NOTE - eventually Working Committees will be requested and formed to 
research these issues with the expectations that results and 
recommendations will be achieved.

Presently there is No listed Training Committee

To date I have two committed persons asking to sit on the Training Committee
One from the Calgary Region and from the Whitecourt Region.
That leaves 3 other regions to fill and I will be more specific on this 
later.

Respectfully
Paul OLMSTEAD
Training Cord.

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