This booklet is intended for use as a promotion and training tool for AMRC members who desire to improve or maintain their search and rescue skills. Satisfactory completion of a requirement may be witnessed by a current Board member holding the given rating or by any active, Mountain Rescue Specialist level AMRC member. A rating is assigned after completion of the requirements for that rating and upon approval by the majority of the Board. The member is encouraged to complete the entire spectrum of skills summarized under the general, search, technical, rescue rigging, and winter categories. Upon assignment of a rating, the member will be considered Specialist in that area.
These specialist ratings are based on criteria set forth by the international Mountain Rescue Association. If you have any questions about these requirements, about your own ratings, or about the schedule of training to achieve these ratings, please contact the training officer or any member of the Board. Skills can be performed at any time including missions, formal AMRC trainings, or additional ad
hoc trainings, but must be witnessed by the Rescue Specialist signing off on that skill unless approved otherwise by the Board.
Mountain Rescue Specialist and Technician Levels (formerly Rescue and Support):
The international Mountain Rescue Association has issued Policy 105, which establishes the recommended skills for Mountain Rescue Specialist and Mountain Rescue Technician (formerly Support) level designations. AMRC follows this guidance. A copy of Policy 105 is included in the Team Information Package. Promotion from In Training status to Technician status is made following completion of the General Training requirements, attendance at two meetings, two trainings, two missions, and a majority decision of the Board. Promotion of members from Technician to Rescue Specialist level is made following the completion of all trainingareas and requirements and through amajority decision of the Board.
General Training:
The following general training is required, and each line item must be signed and dated by the qualified witnessing member:
(1) Demonstrate familiarity with the New Mexico State SAR Plan or is PACE field certified.
______
(2) Demonstrate familiarity with the Incident Command System (ICS).
______
(3) Maintain a current ARC Standard First Aid certification or equivalent.
______
(4) Attend at least two (2) meetings, two (2) trainings, and two (2) missions as an "InTraining" member.
______
The Member is promoted to
Mountain Rescue Technician Status
______
(AMRC President or VP must sign)
______
(Date)
Wilderness Search Specialist (S):
The “S” indicates that the member has demonstrated competence in search techniques and mapandcompass use. The member must also own adequate equipment and have demonstrated the ability to stay in the field for 24 hours under 3season conditions. Each line item must be signed and dated by the qualified witnessing member:
(1)Demonstrate knowledge of initial requests for assistance, determining urgency of response, and initiating callout.
______
(2)Demonstrate knowledge of callout procedures.
______
(3) Demonstrate knowledge of search planning and strategy, including probability analysis.
______
(4) Demonstrate knowledge of search tactics and operations, including confinement, trail blocks, attraction, hasty search, line search, grid search.
______
(5) Demonstrate knowledge of tracking.
______
(6) Demonstrate knowledge of wilderness navigation and travel including use of map and compass in the field.
______
(7) Demonstrate knowledge of night search procedures.
______
(8) Demonstrate knowledge of radio communications.
______
(9) Demonstrate knowledge ofELT search.
______
(10) Demonstrate knowledge of use of GPS
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(11) Demonstrate knowledge of wilderness survival
______
(12) Demonstrate knowledge of helicopter use and safety
______
(13) Own and demonstrate knowledge of proper equipment including a field pack and clothing for 24 hours in the field under 3season conditions.
______
(14) Participate in at least two actual search missions at the technician level.
______
(15) Demonstrate the ability to stay in the field for 24 hours under 3season conditions.
______
The member has been assigned a
Search specialist (S) rating by a
majority approval of the Board
______
(AMRC President or VP must sign)
______
(Date)
Technical Rescue Specialist (T):
The “T” indicates that the member is proficient in technical rock rescue including high and low angle rescue techniques. Each line item must be signed and dated by the qualified witnessing member:
(1) Demonstrate knowledge of rescue equipment.
______
(2) Demonstrate knowledge rescue systems planning and preparations.
______
(3) Demonstrate proficiency in building rescue anchors.
______
(4)Demonstrate proficiency in belaying rescue loads
______
(5)Demonstrate proficiency in ascending and descending a rope.
______
(6)Demonstrate proficiency in rock climbing (able to second a fifth class climb) or has successfully completed the NMMC Climbing School with a Climber rating or an approved equivalent course. (NMMC Climbing Chair must sign for the NMMC Climbing School option)
______
(7) Demonstrate proficiency in patient packaging and litter rigging.
______
(8) Demonstrate proficiency in building mechanical advantage hauling systems.
______
(9) Demonstrate proficiency in building and operating lowering systems for rescue loads.
______
(10) Demonstrate knowledge of highline rigging and operating.
______
(11) Demonstrate proficiency in lowangle or scree evacuation.
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(12) Demonstrate proficiency in improvised rescue techniques.
______
(13) Demonstrate knowledge of helicopter use and safety in a technical environment.
______
(14) Demonstrate proficiency with the following knots: figure 8, figure 8 on a bight, figure 8 rewoven, double fisherman's, water knot, prusik (2 wrap & 3 wrap), bowline, and butterfly.
______
(15) Demonstrate familiarity with climbing signals.
______
(16) Demonstrate rope handling skills.
______
(17) Demonstrate tying off a fallen climber.
______
(18) Demonstrate proficiency in pickoff techniques
______
The member is assigned a
Technical rescue specialist (T) rating by a majority approval of the Board
______
(AMRC President or VP must sign)
______
(Date)
Winter Rescue Specialist (W):
The “W” indicates that the member owns snowshoes, an ice axe, and adequate clothing and bivy gear to survive in the field under winter conditions for 24 hours. The member must also have demonstrated the ability to survive in the field under winter conditions for 24 hours. Each line item must be signed and dated by the qualified witnessing member:
(1) Demonstrate knowledge of winter search and rescue equipment and its use.
______
(2) Demonstrate proficiency in travel over snow and ice.
______
(3) Demonstrate proper self arrest ice axe technique from prone position on back feet downhill, prone position on back headdownhill, prone position on face head uphill, and prone position on face head downhill.
______
(4)Demonstrate knowledge in roped team travel.
______
(5)Demonstrate proficiency in glissading.
______
(6) Demonstrate proficiency in building snow and ice anchors and belays
______
(7) Demonstrate proficiency in the use of crampons and ice ax.
______
(8) Demonstrate proficiency in patient packaging under winter conditions.
______
(9) Demonstrate proficiency in litter rigging, raising and lowering on steep snow.
______
(10) Demonstrate proficiency in avalanche safety and rescue, or has completed level 1 avalanche training.
______
(11)Demonstrate basic knowledge of glacier travel and crevasse rescue.
______
(12) Demonstrate knowledge of helicopter use and safety in winter environments.
______
(13) The member owns snowshoes, an ice axe, and adequate clothing and bivy gear to survive in the field under winter conditions for 24 hours.
______
(14) Demonstrate the ability to survive in the field 24 hours under winter conditions.
______
The member is assigned a
Winter Rescue Specialist (W) rating.
______
(AMRC President or VP must sign)
______
(Date)
Mountain Rescue Specialist (formerly "Rescue Member") Promotion from Field Support to Mountain Rescue Specialist is dependent on the following conditions:
(1) Minimum one year's experience in mountain search and rescue.
(2) Physically capable of full participation in all search and rescue operations normally expected of the team.
(3) Meets minimum participation requirements of the team for training and operations.
(4) Adequately equipped to conduct search and rescue operations in the terrain and under the conditions found in the member team's service area, and to be selfsustaining in the field under such conditions a minimum of three days.
(5) Able to lead a search or rescue field team, and to organize and conduct a wilderness search or rescue using nontrained personnel
(6) Has completed the training requirements and acquired specialist ratings in Wilderness Search (S), Winter Rescue (W), and Technical Rock Rescue (T)
(7) Demonstrated the ability to lead a rescue though the use of scenariobased training
(8) Application for promotion approved by a majority of the Board
It should be noted that advancement to Mountain Rescue Specialist is a tremendous step and should not be undertaken lightly. This represents a much larger increment in training and experience than any previous advancement. Talk to a Rescue Leader for more info.
The member is promoted to
Mountain Rescue Specialist by
approval of the Board
______
(AMRC President must sign)
______
(Date)
Important Numbers
Team Voice Mail229-4516
Team Pager #229-0028
Team website
Team
Pager Codes
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1
2
3
4
5
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9
1st
test
search
trail carry
off-trail
technical
aircraft
recovery
other
info notice
cancel
2nd
standby
strike team
1 hour
first light
2nd period
3rd period
rescuer down
other
3rd
see #4>
Embudito
Elena Gall.
3 Gun
10k
Cole Spring
Man cave
4th July cnyn
Red Canyon
Capilla Peak
4th
<see #3
Crest
La Luz
lower Tram
upper Tram
NationsBank
state police
Embudo
Piedra Lisa
out of area
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