Search & Rescue Intial Actions

The Search and Rescue Initial Actions course, (a.k.a. SARIA), is a one-day standalone course that is designed and perfect for any law enforcement, Fire Officer, EMS, EMA personnel, and professionally trained SAR team personnel that are first boots on the ground at a given call-out for a missing person; Urban or Wilderness.  It teaches the first arriving unit what the very first steps they should to take are.  Why, when, and how.  It teaches/enables them to hit the ground with knowledge and tools for how to start and sustain a SAR incident from the first couple of minutes to a couple of hours, …or until more trained personnel can assist or be given command.  It teaches how to use and set up a map, any map available, and the Lost Person Behavior book (text used for course) to prep a map, set up containment, and how to prioritize use of resources as they become available.  Also to know what resources to request/order…in the first few minutes of an event with the goal of preventing it from growing into a multi-operational period campaign event.  This is the course that we feel is a MUST HAVE for first responders.  Our Instructors have used this information ourselves with success.  We have many testimonies from EMA’s, Law Enforcement, and SAR teams across several states who have used this information with success and now urge other professionals to do the same.  Seasoned veteran SAR experts have agreed if they never step foot into a wilderness to search again but are able to teach this course to others, they WILL still save lives!  

Upon successful completion of the course the participant will receive a SARIA certificate from the National Association for Search and Rescue.

The course text is Lost Person Behavior, By Robert Koester, and the NASAR Pocket Response Guide. Both of which you can order upon registration.Copies will be available for the course, but will returned at the end of the program. The Lost Person Behavior information is also available as an APP in the android store or the Apple store. However, it its not as comprehensive as the text. 

The SARIA pocket pamphlet is also available for purchase. It is also suggested that a copy of the ICS Field Guide for SAR be on hand as well. Both of these are great resources for the course and after. However, neither are required texts.