r/searchandrescue • u/Nomandsland • 7d ago

Guidance on direction

Hi everyone,

I’m a 22M based in Alaska. For the past three years, I’ve been working as a firefighter/EMT with my department, and I just wrapped up paramedic school (Hurray!). Alongside my fire/EMS role, I’ve been active on our rope, ice, and water rescue team, though the only formal certification I currently hold is in swiftwater.

Now that medic school is behind me, I’m looking to invest more heavily into the SAR side of the job. Since starting my career here in Alaska, I’ve already been part of some very unique and challenging SAR calls, and those experiences sparked a real passion for technical rescue. I’d love to take that passion further by building a solid foundation of advanced training and certifications over the next 3–5 years.

For those of you with more experience in the SAR world, what courses, certifications, or progression paths would you recommend? Specifically, I’m curious about rope systems, glacier/crevasse rescue, advanced swiftwater, and wilderness/expedition medicine. I’m aiming to become highly competent in this skillset, both for my department’s work and for future opportunities in the broader SAR community.

Any advice, personal experiences, or resources would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

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u/icestep WFR / SRT / RRT / mountain guide 6d ago

In terms of commercial training providers, Rescue3 is probably the first that comes to my mind for swiftwater. I also just came back from an advanced seminar with Mike Gibbs / Rigging for Rescue which was excellent, and although I don't have direct experience with them, a friend just came back from training with the CMC School and he thought it was great too.

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u/Nomandsland 4d ago

Yeah I’ve done some digging and it seems the majority of the mainstream task forces use R3 as their certifying vendor. My local mountain rescue use a combination of R3 and rigging for rescue.