The Carson City Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team is taking applications for new members. CCSSAR works directly for the sheriff’s office supporting the operations and detective divisions. CCSSAR also provide assistance to Carson City Fire Department, Parks, BLM, USFS, and neighboring counties. Most often working independently, CCSSAR employs unit and personally owned vehicles in response to missions as varied as wilderness and urban searches, evidence searches, wildfire evacuations, and public relations events. The unit is responsible for 153 square miles of varied wilderness and urban terrain stretching from Eldorado Canyon to Lake Tahoe. Good physical fitness is a must. Team members maintain, among other skills, an understanding of orienteering by means of map and compass, Global Positioning System, VHF radio use, first aid, and FEMA’s Incident Command System. The training requirements are broad with a real-world need to maintain the acquired skill sets. Additional training is provided to select personnel for certification as rope rescue and swift water rescue operators. All training and practical requirements can be demanding – in addition to any mission call-outs, members need to be prepared to attend two meetings and a field exercise each month. Applications will be taken throughout the month of December with interviews planned for January. Applications can be obtained from the sheriff’s office or visit www.carsonsar.com. Return completed applications to the sheriff's office c/o Colleen Schiller, volunteer coordinator.
