Join the Team

What do I need to join?

You don’t need to be Superman to join. Our members come from diverse backgrounds and identities, and everyone is welcome. We believe that each dedicated member has something to offer to the organization and you can decide how much time you dedicate to the organization. There are six basic qualifications for operational searchers. The first two must be met to join the group and attend training and other activities. The others are required to be considered ‘operational’ and be called out on searches.

• Age : All SBO-OVSAR members must be at least 18 years old.
• Annual Membership : You must pay a $100 annual membership which goes largely to pay the liability insurance we carry. As soon as you pay, you are covered for all SBO-OVSAR activities.
• Standard First Aid with CPR level ‘C’ : While you do not need this when you join, you will need it if you want to become a fully operational searcher. We do not offer Standard First Aid training.
• Police Records Check (PRC) : All SBO-OVSAR members must get a Police Records Check – Service with the Vulnerable Sector done. Upon request, SBO-OVSAR will provide you with a letter to prove you are a member. In many jurisdictions, the police will waive the reference check charge if you present such a letter.
• Basic Search and Rescue Course : SBO-OVSAR normally presents this course twice a year. Course tuition is $250. It covers all the information you will need to pass the Ontario, Quebec, and Emergency Response Institute exams that cover the standards. The course is also aligned with the new CSA standards for ground search and rescue. The course is taught over two weekends and a few weeknights. Because lost persons and your fellow searchers depend on you, attendance at the full course is mandatory as is attendance at a mock search that takes place after the course.
  The course content includes:
  • Navigation with map, compass and GPS;
  • Survival;
  • Body management;
  • Search essentials;
  • Search techniques;
  • Working with a basket litter; and
  • the Incident Command System.
• Fitness : While we do not assess fitness to any standard or qualification, we do expect a certain level of fitness for our operational searchers. You need to be comfortable in the outdoors day or night, and be able to carry a pack for extended periods in sometimes unfavourable terrain, weather or buggy conditions.

Basic Search and Rescue (BSAR) Course

Our Basic Search and Rescue (BSAR) Course runs in the Spring and in the Fall in an outdoor location within a 50km radius of Ottawa. It typically looks like this and attendance at all dates is mandatory. Most training is in person, some may be online:

To maintain safety and insurance requirements, we have to make sure everyone gets the minimum basic training. We cover a lot of material very quickly and we rely on each other in the field so the training is critical. You would not want your surgeon to have skipped any classes, would you?

Cost and Commitment

We need people who are willing and able to search anytime, anywhere we are called out, in any weather. Search and rescue requires a time commitment not only for searches, but for training, fundraising events, prevention programs and administration. In the first year, it also requires a financial investment of up to $1500 including:

• $250 BSAR course tuition
• $100 annual membership fee
• A compass
• A uniform requirement; and
• Some personal outdoor equipment

If you think about it, most activities, even those that are volunteer, have costs involved. If you are a golfer, for example, you spend money on equipment, transportation, clothing, greens fees and perhaps a club membership. As searchers, we invest in outdoor equipment, GPSs, uniforms, and transportation. Our commitment runs deep but we strongly believe in the adage: You will never be paid less and enjoy your work more than doing this good work!

Ongoing Responsibility

Searchers have several key responsibilities:

• to acquire search skills and learn the practices of SBO-OVSAR
• to maintain those skills through attendance at SBO-OVSAR training events and through self-study or outside courses
• to honour the “Code of Conduct” of the group, most particularly not communicating privileged information about searches and victims outside of the group
• to give time to the group: participate on specialty teams, committees or on the board; attend fund raising events; help with our website and social media channels. Such activities are vital to continued operation.

What if you don’t want to be on active searches?

Support roles are also required to run the back end of the technical aspects of the search, training requirements vary but this is a great option for those who are not ready or don’t want to pursue a searcher role.

How to become a member?

We have two annual cycles for recruiting: spring and fall. It all begins with an information night that is mandatory to attend. Search and Rescue is hard work, and demands time, commitment, energy and requires some upfront costs for gear and some training. We want you to be well informed.

About a month after information night is the mandatory completion of our Basic Search and Rescue Training Course (BSAR). This is a 50-hour intensive course with exams that require 70% or greater to pass.

The next information night and BSAR session will begin on September 8, 2025. Registration is mandatory.  

You can follow the SBO-OVSAR Facebook page for updates.

If you have any questions about your participation, please do not hesitate to contact our Membership Team at: membership@sbo-ovsar.ca