2024 SAR Academy Information Night

OSWEGO and ONONDAGA COUNTIES – Do you like to spend time outdoors and have a

desire to help others? Have you ever thought about joining a search and rescue team?

Anyone who is interested in learning more about search and rescue is encouraged to attend

an informational meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6 at the Clay Town Highway Garage,

4483 NYS Rte. 31, Clay.

Members of the Oswego County Pioneer and the Onondaga County Wilderness Search and

Rescue Teams will be on hand to answer questions and discuss what is involved in being a

member of their teams. The two teams will offer their next training academy in late winter

and spring of 2024.

The training program is held every two years. Classes be held Wednesday evenings and

some weekends between February and June in Oswego and Onondaga counties.

“The academy curriculum is a thorough introduction to search and rescue techniques and

meets the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) minimum requirements

for search and rescue training,” said Aaron Albrecht, Team Coordinator of the Oswego

County Pioneer SAR Team.

“The Oswego and Onondaga county teams frequently train together and support each other

in mutual aid searches for lost persons in Central New York and across New York State,” said

Jason Baleno, Wilderness SAR Team Coordinator. “We encourage anyone interested in

learning more about our teams to attend our Dec. 6 meeting at the Town of Clay Highway

Garage.”

The Oswego and Onondaga county teams are the primary search and rescue units called

upon to look for missing or lost persons in their respective counties. They work closely with

local law enforcement, NYS DEC Forest Rangers, NYS Police, and the NYS Federation of

Search and Rescue Teams.

The training academy will be open to all interested persons age 18 and older, regardless of

where they live. Students should be in good health and capable of passing a moderate

physical fitness test. Students are expected to attend all classes, complete all assignments,

and pass all written and practical testing.

The SAR academy covers map and compass, global positioning systems (GPS), grid searches,

man-tracking, wilderness survival, radio communications, search techniques, cold weather

emergencies, crime scene preservation, the National Incident Management System (NIMS),

and a variety of other topics.