Interested?

Thank you for showing interest in joining Search and Rescue!

In order to proceed you need to follow a few basic steps. Some are generic and apply to all SAR units, for example the Emergency Worker application and some are unit specific.

Our units are skill based and offer something for everyone. You can read more about each unit on the KCSARA website, and follow-up with the units that strike you as interesting. We recommend you select the SAR unit that meets your interests and matches your skills (or skills you want to acquire). If you already know which unit you want to join, please feel free to engage with them directly to explore the their application process.

It’s important to note that each unit and every SAR member contributes to Search and Rescue. If you choose to join, you’ll bring great value by joining any of the available units.

Pacific Northwest Trackers

We are a small group of dedicated individuals who focus on Search and Rescue work. We use our skills to locate missing persons and we assist with crime scene investigations. It is important to underscore the fact that we are not a tracking club. We are part of Search & Rescue. We require that members participate in monthly unit training, with an end goal of getting certified by Joel Hardin Professional Tracking Services (JHPTS/VTATI). We say that upfront because we require a high level of commitment to Tracking and SAR. Our training is hard and the skills we acquire perishable. This means that ongoing training is critical to our success. You’ll learn, as we have, that we never know enough. Tracking is truly a lifelong endeavor.

Tracking is hard work. Examining sign on the ground for many hours, when it’s wet and cold is difficult, and requires focus and discipline. Insects, prickly vegetation and the weather will contribute to discomfort and fatigue. We work together in harsh conditions, and we rely on each other’s knowledge, skills and support. Trackers use their individual skills to work together as a team of collaborating individuals. Our ability to work well together is as important as our ability to detect and identify Sign. In some training, we’ll be out tracking from morning till night. It’s hard, demanding work, and at the same time it’s highly satisfying, very rewarding and quite addictive.

In order to join, you’ll need to complete the requirements on our Membership and Qualifications page. Our unit works very closely with King County Major Crimes, but in order to be able to respond to crime scenes you will need to be at least Basic Certified by JHPTS/VTATI.

As a small unit we always seek folks who can commit to this long term venture and bring value, skills and passion to our Pacific Northwest Trackers and Search and Rescue.

If you have any questions, or concerns, contact us through our You can contact us page.


Posted: 6/24/2020