Apply
Thank you for your interest in Marin Search and Rescue! Our application will be posted in December, and the deadline to submit it will be January 10, 2025, @ 11:59pm. For your application to be considered, you must attend two of the orientation meetings listed below as well as proof of completing the FEMA ICS courses listed below. Use the links to register in advance. Upon registering, you will be added to receive information on the specific meeting's agenda and location.
Required FEMA NIMS Courses - These courses are free and provide an introduction to the nationally adopted command structure used by most emergency response agencies. You will be asked to submit certificates of completion on the membership application. Please be prepared to upload each certificate individually when completing your application.
ICS 100 - An Introduction to the Incident Command System
ICS 200 - Basic Incident Command System for Initial Response
ICS 700 - An Introduction to the National Incident Management System
Marin County Search and Rescue is staffed with people of various ages, backgrounds, and experience levels. We all share a common interest in serving our community and helping others. Most members are avid outdoors people — climbers, hikers, backpackers, cyclists, and runners. We maintain an active membership of around 100 people. To maintain our staffing level, we run one recruitment cycle a year.
We suggest you read what we do and the latest mission summaries to give you a better idea of our team.
We also suggest you review the Frequently Asked Questions outlined in the link below.
For your application to be considered, you must attend at least two of our orientation meetings within the current recruitment cycle. Attending meetings helps you get a feel for our team and the commitment required and gives our members a chance to get to know you. It also provides you with a good overview of our scope of operations. Our meetings will begin in late summer to early fall and typically be offered monthly until the application deadline in January. To be notified of when we publish the meeting dates fill out the form noted at the top of this page.
We require a minimum active commitment of two years, hopefully many more. This means potential youth members should apply in their freshman or sophomore year. We sometimes consider juniors but give preference to those who can serve longer. In addition, youth applicants must be at least 14 by the first day of boot camp.
Keep in mind this is not a typical volunteer opportunity. We are looking for people with uncommon dedication and a schedule allowing for potentially hundreds of hours of commitment per year. SAR is not a good fit for otherwise busy and highly scheduled people…
If you are the parent of a prospective youth member, your child needs to be the point of contact with us! We demand a lot from youth members and expect adult-level engagement from them.
We occasionally have situations where multiple family members wish to join SAR. While we do have some situations like that, they are not common. The application process is very competitive, so it’s fairly unlikely that multiple family members will be selected for the team. You should assume you are applying as an individual and that other family members may not have the opportunity to join the team.
All residents of Marin County meet the geographic requirements. Any prospective member outside Marin County must be able to respond to the SAR headquarters within ~30 minutes from callout. Applicants from areas and counties other than Marin will also be evaluated on many factors such as availability, training, skill and experience. The new member selection committee will review the qualifications of all such applicants and will base any selection on those qualifications and the needs of the team.
For many people, volunteering for search and rescue is a rewarding and often fun experience, but it’s important to recognize it also can be very difficult at times. SAR missions sometimes involve violent crime scenes, finding or assisting in the recovery of human remains, providing medical assistance to severely injured persons and other difficult circumstances. SAR members may also interact with family members or friends of the subject of a SAR mission who are emotionally distressed. The team offers support to members to help them process and cope with difficult situations, and members can select out of assignments if necessary. SAR missions can be emotionally challenging and it’s important for people who choose to volunteer for SAR to be confident that they feel emotionally resilient enough for the work and have sound mental health.
Note our Marin SAR policy on drug use:
Marijuana – disqualified if used within 6 months of application date (including medical marijuana!)
Hash or hash oil – disqualified if used within the past 3 years
Amphetamines – disqualified if used within the past 5 years (unless prescribed to you and not abused)
Cocaine powder – disqualified is used within the past 5 years
CNS / Barbiturates – disqualified if used within the past 5 years
Quaaludes – disqualified if used within the past 5 years
Amyl Nitrite – disqualified if used within the past 5 years
Synthetic / designer drugs – disqualified if used within the past 5 years
Steroids – disqualified if used within the past 5 years (unless prescribed to you and not abused)
Mushrooms—disqualified if used within the past 5 years
Crack cocaine – disqualified if ever used
Heroin – disqualified if ever used
Opiates – disqualified if ever used (unless prescribed to you and not abused)
LSD – disqualified if ever used
Methadone – disqualified if ever used
PCP – disqualified if ever used
Toluene or Inhalants – disqualified if ever used
All new members must meet our basic fitness requirement before attending boot camp. If you are selected for boot camp, you will be required to complete the following basic fitness test in less than 1 hour and 35 minutes carrying a 25lb backpack. We will schedule a couple of testing dates between your interview night and the start of boot camp. We urge you to try the following hike before applying so there are no surprises down the road!
Here’s a map of the test — it’s a 4.0 mile loop with 1,500 feet of elevation gain. It starts just off Lucas Valley Road at the tennis courts located at the junction of Luiz Fire Rd and Creekside Dr. Continue counterclockwise from there around the loop.
An interactive version of the map route is AVAILABLE HERE.
The SAR application will be posted a month before the application deadline. Once you’ve completed the application, submit it and print a copy for yourself before closing your browser. You will be able to edit your responses after submission (while the browser is still open). Read the application carefully before you begin to ensure you have all the required information. Make sure you have a good internet connection and plenty of time to complete the application.
Finally, interest in our team has grown substantially over the past few years. We have limited resources and equipment to train new members and can only accommodate a portion of the applicants in each cycle. Some applicants are successful in subsequent cycles; unfortunately, others may never have the opportunity to join the team.
If you have any unanswered questions about the unit or have issues with the electronic application, feel free to email our personnel manager.