Search & Rescue is for the serious – not the well-intentioned
How to join:
- Just drop in to one of our weekly meetings and let someone know you’re new!
- Meetings happen every Monday night from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm.
- On the last Monday of every month we meet at 1 Metropolitan Ave. in Lower Sackville. All other meetings take place at 116 Lakeview Road in Lakeview.
- If you have any questions not answered here please email join@halifaxsar.ca
Requirements:
- You must be 19 years of age.
- Before you can participate in a search, you must complete a personal records check through the RCMP or the Municipal police.
What kind of people join?:
- Everyone from artists and academics to police officers, paramedics and the business community.
- We are committed to equality of race, colour, gender, religion and sexual orientation.
When can I go on a search?:
- You can join a search as soon as you pass your security clearance.
- Newer searchers are placed in a team with more experienced searchers.
- All new members (or former members wishing to reapply) must undergo a six-month probationary period beginning from the date of application. Once you pass your probation, you become an official voting member.
What you can expect from membership:
- a high caliber of training with four core modules and other ongoing training;
- training and hand-on experience with map and compass;
- first aid training provided by qualified instructors;
- advanced training with the latest technology and methods in search and rescue;
- training in the area of radio communication;
- an opportunity to meet and work with teams associated with Nova Scotia Ground Search and Rescue;
- opportunities to educate the public and children in woods survival;
- an opportunity to test you skills in all types of weather conditions – day or night
Halifax Regional Search and Rescue is committed to continuous quality improvement in the area of Ground Search and Rescue. Personal training is offered with few exceptions every Monday night at 1900 hours and many weekends.
What is a search?
- A search takes place when there is an overdue, missing subject.
- A rescue can be attempted when there is a known subject in a known location.
Both operations are time critical. A search is an emergency. The subject may need emergency care or protection from either their environment or themselves. An urgent response lessens search difficulty as time and weather may destroy clues.
Morgan said on Wednesday, Apr 11, 2012
hello, I just turned 17 on eatser sunday and would really like to join but it says you have to be 19. Is their any exceptions for somebody at my age? my dad also used to be in it too and he is thinking of doing it again and i want to do it with him.
David Crowe said on Saturday, Mar 24, 2012
Once you join and become a member are there any costs for training to the member? Do members supply their own clothes for searches?
Jenny Cartwright said on Saturday, Mar 24, 2012
Hi there. There are no costs for training as we do it all internally (other than things like the 8-day medical first responder course, or the Management course if you want to be certified nationally). But yes, we are responsible for clothing and personal equipment. However a lot of my clothing comes from places like Value Village! No point spending hundreds on clothes if you rip them to shreds in a Nova Scotia swamp
Melissa Eakin said on Tuesday, Mar 13, 2012
i am interested in volunteering but my issue is that i am a university student in NB so i will only be in Nova Scotia for four months so i was wondering if that would be a problem
Jenny Cartwright said on Friday, Mar 16, 2012
Hi Melissa, Thanks for the comment. You would have to go through a criminal records check process before you could attend searches with us, so as long as that process didn’t take too long you would be ok. You might not get very much training done in four months, but you are certainly welcome to come and join us while you are here! Have a look at our calendar and come along to one of our meetings on a Monday night whenever you’re back in NS.
Jaye Erb said on Wednesday, Mar 7, 2012
Hi. I have returned to Truro from Ottawa and have two retired K9 service dogs. I was active in Gatineau Park and my dogs were with the Surete de Quebec. I am planning to take your wilderness emergency course to prep for the Eco-Challenge in May if I can find a team to join. I don’t know if I am to too far away to join you but my dogs could use the work.
Regards,
Jaye
Jenny Cartwright said on Monday, Mar 12, 2012
Hey there Jaye. You are welcome to join whichever team you wish – we actually have a couple of people from the New Glasgow area on our team and another from Lunenburg. If you don’t mind the driving, we’d be happy to meet you! Glad to hear that you’re also thinking about the E2C in May, it’s great fun.
HRSAR does have SAR dogs attached to the team; they’re validated by the RCMP Civilian Search and Rescue program, which entails a level 1 tracking test plus article searches. If you are interested in training with the dogs let us know and we can put you in touch with the K9 committee chair when you join the regular search team.
Our team meets every Monday night at our base in Lakeview – check out our calendar to see what’s on and come along one night!
alex coley said on Tuesday, Nov 22, 2011
I would really like to join SAR, but i question how much time i can commit. is there any flexibility with attending meetings? if I was to travel for months at a time, is that acceptable?
David Lewis said on Thursday, Nov 24, 2011
We are all volunteers so you do what you can but you are required to attend a certain minimum number of events per year in order to maintain your status as an active member. That can be a meeting, training, mock search, actual search, boot drive or helping out on one of the committees. That said we do training every Monday night that is very beneficial… especially for new members. And our core training modules (Map & Compass, Woodslore, Searcher, Advanced Searcher, Team Leader) all have a Monday night component. So if Monday nights are out then that could be a problem. We are volunteers but we do expect people to dedicate some time to the team and ideally achieve at least the Woodslore / Searcher level within the first year or two.
Joel said on Monday, Nov 7, 2011
I have two dogs and currently am training them as service dogs, specifically in search & rescue. Are there any other service dogs involved with this group?
David Lewis said on Monday, Nov 7, 2011
Yes, HRSAR has SAR dogs attached to the team. These members are validated to the RCMP Civilian Search and Rescue program, which is a level 1 tracking test, plus article searches. Those interested in being prospective SAR dog handlers must join the HRSAR team, and be regular members in good standing. Once they have joined the team, they must have a minimum of “SEARCHER” level (Up to a year or more to achieve), plus proven reliability to be able to participate with the K9 training program. Being a K9 handler with a SAR program in Nova Scotia is an ambitious, yet rewarding goal. It is not one that can be easily achieved overnight, and, requires years of dedication both to the team and to the K9 training process.
Matthew Salem said on Wednesday, Oct 26, 2011
what do you have to bring with you on your first night?
David Lewis said on Monday, Nov 7, 2011
If there is an outdoor training session happening you should have at least a few absolute basics… study hiking boots, a flashlight and no jeans or cotton (quick dry synthetic clothing or wool is preferred). Beyond that you might want water, snacks, knife, compass, notepad, etc. But the main thing is good boots, flashlight and no cotton.
mack bartlett said on Thursday, Oct 20, 2011
hey does anyone commute to the meetings from halifax metro and is willing to carpool? I dont currently have a vehicle but would love to join the SAR
David Lewis said on Monday, Nov 7, 2011
A car is certainly helpful for both meetings and searches, but I do know of at least one member who does not have a car. So yes, it is possible. Most member don’t read this page though so I’ll put the word out for you internally.
Brenda said on Sunday, Sep 18, 2011
I am very interested in becoming involved with your organization but do not have a car. Is there anyone I could contact to get a ride to one of your meetings? Is having a vehicle mandatory? I live in the Woodside area of Dartmouth.
David Lewis said on Sunday, Sep 18, 2011
A car is not mandatory but it is certainly helpful. We do have a few team members without cars. They simply bike, bus or get rides to meetings and in case of a search they make arrangements with people living close to them who are willing to pick them up. I’m not sure offhand if we have any members in the Woodside area.
James Owen said on Wednesday, Apr 20, 2011
Hey David, just wanted to check out the Halifax teams site ….looks good…also, its nice to see a very active public intrest as far as training and recruitment goes. Wish we had that much intrest down here in Sheet Harbour! Also noticed, that you serve all area known HRM….any time you feel like coming down to OUR part of HRM, feel free ( plan for a 4 hour round trip and dont forget there is no Timmies )….make sure you have your way points back to Base LOL.
take care and keep up the good work. James from Sheet Harbour Team.
Benj Youngson said on Monday, Nov 8, 2010
I have recently moved to Halifax from BC and am interested in joining, but am I too far away?
David Lewis said on Monday, Nov 8, 2010
Our team services the area known as “HRM” or Halifax Regional Municipality.