They say it’s too bad we only die once, because death might be the ultimate learning experience. Firsthand Survival Wisdom, or What Not to Do But I found myself wanting to be prepared for as many exigencies as possible I became totally hooked on learning new skills and pushing my personal limits.Īs the 19 th century physical culturist Georges Hebert said, a man ought “to be strong to be useful.” 3. They were for me to willingly accept, and if there was a task I knew I wasn’t quite up for, there were plenty of other tasks I was, like manning ropes.
SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM FULL
I might (and did) suddenly have to hike 12 miles down a trail in the middle of the night to respond to a hiker’s personal locator beacon, or lift the full weight of a woman on a backboard as we transported her up a canyon cliff from her mangled car.Īs a volunteer, these challenges weren’t required of me. When I joined a search and rescue team, however, staying in shape became about more than just me. I always wanted to stay in shape, but it was just too easy not to. When we know that our mental and physical skills might be put to real use, we’re more driven to keep them sharp. But we frequently find that we still yearn not only to possess such capacities for personal pleasure, but to test and utilize them in the real world. When it comes to the development of our skills and fitness, we typically rely on self-imposed challenges to stay motivated. There are opportunities to function in this capacity as part of a SAR operation every week in your community.
Though it may seem like all danger has retreated from the world, and there are no longer opportunities to scratch this itch for aiding those in the thick of it, the need for this service in fact remains very significant. Maybe you’ve secretly fantasized about rescuing someone in distress, and find your adrenaline pumping at the thought, but it feels like a distant, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Maybe you’ve felt the hunger to find yourself in a real emergency that calls on everything you’ve got for the sake of a cause bigger than yourself. The need to find and save comrades is a primal, deeply-set drive. Search and rescue teams have been around since the dawn of human existence. The Benefits of Joining a Search and Rescue Team Very quickly, I began to see that by seeking to help others, I was sharpening myself, and that volunteering for search and rescue brings many benefits to one’s life. While I had concerns about whether I had the skills, time, and disposition to serve my community in this kind of role, I signed up anyway.Īfter undergoing some classroom training and taking the state oath of office, I was issued a pager, a radio, and a very orange shirt, and immediately started going out on calls.
SAR teams are called upon to help people who are in potential distress or imminent danger, often going “off road” to look for those who are missing or feared lost because of accident, foul play, mental health, or natural disasters. Yet the paradoxical thing about seeking to improve one’s self, is that it’s best accomplished by looking outside of it.Ī couple years ago I stumbled across an ad in the paper which said that my local search and rescue team was recruiting volunteers. This is the time of year when people are making goals towards their personal development. This article was originally published in January 2019.Įditor’s note: This is a guest article from Graham Shea. With our archives now 3,500+ articles deep, we’ve decided to republish a classic piece each Friday to help our newer readers discover some of the best, evergreen gems from the past.
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