Join RMRU

RMRU is always looking for new members!

Thank you for your interest in joining Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit. We are an all-volunteer, non-profit team of rescue professionals who are always looking for qualified people to join our team of dedicated rescue members. As a member of the Mountain Rescue Association, we are not your average search and rescuer team. In addition to what is expected of most SAR teams, we specialize in high-angle rope rescue and extended back country and mountain rescue missions. If you think you have what it takes to be part of an elite mountain rescue team, read on.
Who We Are
RMRU is a group of volunteers trained and ready to respond to wilderness emergencies. At any hour of the day, law enforcement agencies, national park or military officials may call upon us to aid an unfortunate victim. We are on constant alert to search for and effect the rescue of hikers, skiers, rock climbers and outdoors enthusiasts whenever and wherever tragedy strikes. We perform about 95% of our missions in Riverside County. We have, however, traveled south into Mexico, north into the Sierras, and into Nevada on search and rescue missions.
We are comprised of over forty volunteers who literally come from all walks of life. We regularly leave our jobs (or, in the middle of the night, our warm beds) to respond to a call for help. Each member must provide all of his own equipment and we receive no remuneration for time given to search and rescue. The members make up a small but spirited group of mountaineers who spend one weekend each month training to sharpen our skills. Beside acting as highly competent rescue workers, we also work closely with school, clubs, church groups, and Scout troops throughout the area to teach mountain safety. Our members have been honored nationally for their contributions to wilderness survival education.
With RMRU, teamwork is key to everything we do. We are not simply a group of individuals, but an integrated team. We train as a team so we can perform as a team. It is only through dedicated teamwork that we can be successful in saving lives, something RMRU has been doing for almost five decades. We train as a team, we work as a team, and we socialize as a team.
Who We Are Looking For
The ideal applicant would be an accomplished mountaineer with years of experience in mountaineering, climbing, and back country survival. Rarely does anyone like this apply. The more experience you have in backpacking, hiking, climbing, or mountaineering, the better. At a minimum, you should be a very good physical shape.
While we don't have specific requirements for existing skills in new applicants, we are a mountain rescue team, and this implies that the team has certain skills and abilities. You will be expected to actively train for certification within the team in the areas of search and tracking, technical rock rescue, and technical snow/ice rescue. Consider if you are up to the physical and mental challenges of this type of training.
The most important things we look for in applicants are a genuine enthusiasm for the outdoors, a desire to help others, a willingness to learn physically challenging skills, and the resources (both money and time) to actively participate on the team. Do not underestimate the commitment of money and time.
Members pay for all of their own gear, though we do get discounts from some manufacturers and many members will loan or sell old gear. You need not buy all the necessary equipment at once, though by the time you have been on the team a couple of years you will likely have spent thousands of dollars on gear.
Do not underestimate the amount of time you will have to dedicate to be an effective member of the team. We meet one night per month, train one weekend per month (usually including an overnight trip), and average several missions per month. Be realistic about your ability to spend that much time away from work, family, friends, and other personal endeavors. Will your personal and professional life allow you to be away for 50+ hours per month? Will your boss support you leaving work for rescue missions?
In addition to the amount of hours you will be expected to spend with the team is the timing of those hours. Unlike training, missions are not scheduled conveniently on weekends. They often come at the worst possible time: When you are asleep, in the middle of family meals, the middle of the workday, during children's birthday parties, and quite often on holidays which you would otherwise spend with family or friends. Again, be realistic about your willingness and ability to break away from whatever you might be doing to respond to missions. Talk this over carefully with family and significant others. Make sure they eagerly support you before committing yourself to being a member of RMRU.
All that being said, we are also also looking for fun people to be around. We are a fun-loving group of outdoor enthusiasts and want new members that will fit well within our SAR family.
The Initial Training Academy
New members cannot attend regular training or respond to missions until they have completed the Initial Training Academy. This is run twice per year, usually starting in April and October. The academy consists of six full weekends of training spread over three months. Attendance at each day of training is mandatory. No exceptions.
Before you begin your academy, you will first have to survive a Hike With Pete. This day-long hike of approximately 10 miles somewhere in the San Jacinto Mountains will involve a substantial elevation gain and most of it will be above 8'000. Always interested in an adventure, Pete prefers cross-country travel to trails, so be prepared for anything. This is not a death march, just a check to make sure you are in good enough physical condition to participate in mountain search and rescue. You may continue with the academy only if you keep pace with the group during this hike. For those wondering if they are in good enough shape to pass the Hike With Pete, Pete advises that if you can hike from Humber Park to Tahquitz Peak and back in six hours, you should do fine on his hike.
Each month during your academy you will attend one weekend of training dedicated strictly to new members and another weekend of regular team training. These weekends are designed, to the extent possible, to dovetail with each other. At the end of each weekend you will be briefed on the equipment and location of the next training weekend.

A typical sequence for the academy would be:

Weekend #1: Orientation, wilderness first aid/CPR, team vehicles, search and tracking, team protocols, anatomy of a search, and individual equipment.

Weekend #2: Overnight backpacking trip with the team, search and tracking skills.

Weekend #3: Overnight backpacking trip, area familiarization, SAR skills (knots, water locations, medical assessments, etc.)

Weekend #4: Overnight backpacking trip with the team, area familiarization, SAR skills (GPS, land navigation, etc).

Weekend #5: Personal rope rescue skills. Introduction to team rope rescue skills.

Weekend #6: Team rope rescue training with full technical rescue scenarios.

For some, the term "academy" implies military or police style training. That is not our style. Certain aspects of the training, such as rope rescue skills or medical assessments, can seem intense, but this is not in-your-face style training. We want everyone to pass.
Additional Training
Upon completion of the academy, you will have been exposed to a little of almost everything we do, except helicopter and snow/ice skills. Note that this is just the beginning of your training. Winter rescue and helicopter operations are just two examples of further training you will be expected to participate in. Team members train monthly to learn new skills and keep old ones sharp. RMRU is constantly training.
RMRU invests a great deal of time and effort in training new members. That is a big commitment on our part. What we ask in return is a commitment on your part to attend all regularly scheduled team training for your first two years on the team. You will be asked in your interview to verify your intention to attend all training for your first two years. If you don't think you can commit to this amount of training, perhaps you should reconsider joining RMRU.
TheApplication Process
The application process is roughly as follows:

You come to your first meeting and are given an RMRU application.

Fill out the RMRU application and come to the next monthly meeting. You will be interviewed by three team members who will make a recommendation to the RMRU Board of Directors. Come prepared to convince these interviewers of your willingness and ability to spend the amount of time required to be an active member of the team. Expect to be questioned thoroughly on this and be prepared to explain that you have thought about it carefully and discussed it with your family and employer. If the interviewers recommend you for membership, the board will later vote to either approve or disapprove your application. If disapproved, you will be contacted by phone, otherwise show up at the next (likely your third) meeting.

At that meeting you will be given a set of forms for your background check with Riverside Sheriff's Office. After completing these forms you contact our Sheriff's liaison and schedule a time to meet with her for a short interview and to turn in your paperwork. The Sheriff's background check takes 3-4 weeks.

If accepted by the sheriff's office, you will be scheduled for our next Initial Training Academy. Until the start of that academy you can attend meetings and pre-meeting training, but cannot attend regular team training or respond to missions. (This would be an ideal time to get certified/recertified in first aid and CPR.)

Upon completion of the Initial Training Academy, the Membership Committee will make a final decision as to your eligibility to join the team. If accepted, you will then be able to attend team meetings, training, and respond to missions.

Taking The First Step
Again, thank you for your interest in joining RMRU. More information on the team, write-ups on many of our missions, past newsletters, and the history of the team can be found on our web site at www.rmru.org. If, after carefully considering all the above, you are ready to join a great team of mountain rescuers, you need to come to a team meeting and meet the team.
The team meets at 7PM the first Wednesday of every month at the Sheriff's Office Valle Vista substation at 43950 Acacia Street in Hemet. This is one block south of Florida at the corner of Fairview and Acacia. Email info@rmru.org ahead of time to make sure there will be someone out front to meet you.