San Bernardino County Sheriff's Cave & Technical Rescue Team

Join This Team

Join the Cave Rescue Team

Application Requirements

  1. Be at least 18 years old with a high school diploma and a valid driver’s license.
  2. Complete a Volunteer Forces Preliminary Application and mail it to the Volunteer Forces Unit.
  3. Pass an oral interview with the Team/Sheriff’s Department.
  4. Complete a Citizen Volunteer Application for the Sheriff’s Department.
  5. Have a valid 1st Aid and CPR certification good through the end of the year.

First-Year Probation Requirements

  1. Attend the Sheriff’s Department Basic Search and Rescue (BSAR) Course (40 hours, presented on two weekends). Upon course completion, take and pass the N.A.S.A.R. SAR Technician II Certification test.
  2. Attend the Sheriff’s Department Technical Rescue Basics Course (50 hours, presented on two weekends) within the first year.
  3. Attend a National Cave Rescue Commission Seminar (NCRC) during the first two years, or have attended a seminar during the last four years.
  4. Pass the Department’s Driver Awareness Course within the first six months.
  5. Pass the Sheriff’s Department Personal Vertical Skills and Basic Rope Technician tests.

Recurrent Membership Requirements

  • Once accepted to the team as a Citizen Volunteer, you will be expected to:
  1. Pass the Sheriff’s Department Personal Vertical Skills on an annual basis.
  2. Pass the Sheriff’s Department Basic Rope Technician  on a bi-annual basis.
  3. Maintain the gear on the Personal Equipment Checklist .
  4. Attend a minimum of 75% of all team training sessions and meetings per calendar year.  All of the meetings are scheduled concurrently with training days to minimize trips for our members.
    1. Annual attendance must include: a minimum of two in-cave training sessions (come on, if you don’t want to go in caves, why be on the team?!) ; the December meeting/training day; the annual skills certification day.
    2. Completion of an NCRC Seminar, the TRBC, Basic SAR Course, or a week-long related training course will count the same as an in-cave training session.
  5. Maintain 1st Aid and CPR certification.
  6. Attend an NCRC Seminar every four years in some capacity (student or instructor). You may repeat seminar levels 1, 2 or 3 as desired.
  • Individuals who do not maintain their annual requirements will be dropped from the team rolls, due to County liability issues.