Meetings and trainings

BAMRU monthly General Meetings are where members discuss recent and future Unit activities, including trainings and missions. General Meetings are open to the public, generally on the third Monday of every month. [See calendar for dates.] We share our expertise and learn from our experiences. Potential applicants are encouraged to attend as many meetings as possible to get to know us and vice versa.

BAMRU also has monthly trainings throughout the year to reinforce member skills and train our first-year cohort. All trainings are led and taught by Unit members. Some trainings are open to guests under specific conditions - please see the guest policy. BAMRU-only trainings advance core competencies. See below for upcoming meetings and trainings and hover over trainings for more information. Asterisks * mark the core program for first-year trainees.

Guest Policy


Permission to participate in a BAMRU training is at the sole discretion of BAMRU. 'G' marks training events that are open to Guests. Selected BAMRU trainings are open to guests provided the guest has:
(1) attended the general meeting preceding the training,
(2) completed Sheriff's Office waiver form and been sworn in by a designated Sheriff's official, and
(3) been approved by that training leader.

Some of the trainings have limited space for guests. All events and schedules are subject to change.



General Meetings

Most BAMRU meetings are hybrid Zoom and in-person, but some are now in-person only. Guests are welcome. For an invitation, email recruiting@bamru.org.

2026

Unit Meeting, Hybrid Apr 20
Unit Meeting, In Person May 18
Unit Meeting, Virtual Jun 22
Unit Meeting, Hybrid Jul 20
Unit Meeting, In Person (members only, no guests) Aug 17
Unit Meeting, Virtual Sep 21
Unit Meeting, Hybrid Oct 19
Unit Meeting, In Person Nov 16

Trainings

Weekend trainings are typically full days (8am to 6pm, plus travel time to training site). Weekday trainings are typically evenings only (approximately 7pm to 10pm) and will likely be virtual.

Virginia Lakes Ski Small Alpine Virginia Lakes Trailhead Skiing into Virginia Lakes, possible summit attempts on Black Mountain and Excelsior Mountain
Apr 17-19
Medical G* Huddart Park Apr 26
Mendocino Helicopter Operations Training Mendocino County May 16-17
Advanced Tech Yosemite National Park May 23-25
Mock Search G TBD Jun 28
SAR Basic G* TBD Jul 25-26
Candidate interviews Virtual Aug 1-6
Onboarding * TBD Aug 15
Gear and Truck Familiarization * TBD Aug 15
Navigation and Tracking * Bear Valley Aug 29-30
Purcell Prusik Skills Night Redwood City Sep 16
Personal Rope Skills (PRS) * Indian Springs, North Tahoe Sep 19-20
Low Angle * TBD We will focus on single line rescue systems as an introduction to the larger world of technical rescue. Personal Rock Skills is required to attend this training.
Oct 3
Low Angle Skills Night TBD Oct 14
High Angle * TBD Oct 24-25
DO Skills Night * Virtual Nov 4
Skills Day TBD TBD Nov 14
Mental Health Skills Night * TBD Dec 2
On-Road Driver Training TBD Dec 12
Winter Gear Skills Night TBD - in person Dec 16

2027

Snow Skills * TBD Jan 30-31
At Home Coordinator (AHC) Skills Night * Virtual Feb 24
Medical * G TBD Medical Skills Training is all about putting our skills and knowledge to use. BAMRU has an exciting medical skills training planned this year. Some highlights include guest lecture by Stanford's Wilderness Medicine Fellow, Skill labs with lots of hands on practice, and the BAMRU Medical Olympics where groups compete at a diverse set of wilderness scenarios. Training open to guests, pending Leader approval.
Feb 27
Snow Camping * TBD Mar 20-21
Snow Training Backup * TBD Apr 3-4
OL Training * Virtual Apr 14
Search Management TBD We will spend two days planning and executing the first operational period of a search operation, in slow motion, in rugged terrain.
May 22-23
Mock SAR G TBD Jun 13
SAR Basic * G TBD Intensive weekend training to orient prospective members on the basic skills required to operate effectively in search and rescue operations. Intended for people with no prior SAR experience. Attendance at SAR Basic is one of the requirements for application to become a Trainee member. Training open to guests, pending Leader approval.
Jul 24-25