The McLean County Emergency Management Agency is hosting a Ground Search and Rescue course through the Illinois Search and Rescue Council on February 25 and 26, 2012. This introductory course involves 16 hours of both classroom and field-based training over a two-day period. For those interested in serving on the McLean County EMA Search and Rescue team, this is the first course in the membership process. There is no cost to attend the course.

Event Information

• Location: McLean County EMA Fleet Facility, 907 N. Main Street, Normal, Illinois 61761
• Dates: February 25-26, 2012
• Times: February 25 - 08:30 until approximately 21:00; February 26 - 08:00 until approximately 12:00
• ISARC Instructors: Eric Hodges, Jesse Magenheimer, Jon Orns, Brian Blomgren
  

Course Information

• Course Topics: The definition of search and rescue, incident management and organizational structure, fitness, clothing, SAR ready packs and preparedness kits, personal outdoor equipment, land navigation, communications, SAR resources, clue consciousness, anatomy of a SAR incident, lost person behavior, search probability theory, tracking, and rescue gear. Course content meets or exceeds ASTM F-2209 and NFPA 1670 standards.
• Equipment: Each attendee should bring a notepad, a pen, a compass (recommend high-quality lensatic), and appropriate attire for navigating through heavily wooded areas with rough terrain in potentially unfavorable weather conditions for an extended period.
• Minimum Requirements: Students must be at least 18 years of age by February 25, 2012. This training involves prolonged, often strenuous physical activity. If you have mobility or physical fitness concerns, consult and obtain a release from your primary care physician prior to enrolling in the course.
• Continuing Education: 16 CEs from the Illinois Department of Public Health are awarded for pre-hospital emergency care providers.
  

Additional Information

• For students interested in joining the McLean County EMA GSAR Team, we recommend you review the applicable content from the Search and Rescue Division Probation and Field Training Program by clicking here.
• If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Deputy Chief Jesse Magenheimer.

Registration

• To register for the course, click here.