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, In Person (members only, no guests) Aug 24
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.

Onboarding + Gear and Truck Familiarization * ROC Aug 15
TTRS and ATC Skill Day ROC Aug 16
Navigation/Tracking Pre-Load Google Meet Virtual meeting to go over theory of navigation and tracking. Answer any questions the new cohort may have about the training.
Aug 26
Navigation and Tracking * Bear Valley Aug 29-30
Skills Night ROC Garage Sep 7
Advanced Tech rope Evening TBD Priority to TMs and FM's, may open up the training for Trainees who participated in our MRA Reaccreditation as well as Trainees who have completed their technical sign-offs.
Sep 9
Lyons Creek Small Alpine Desolation Wilderness Three day attempt at the Crystal Range Traverse as well as locating a historic small plane crash site. The route will start up the Lyons Creek trail with a spike camp near Lyons Lake. Off trail portions may include an attempt up Pyramid Peak, then north along the Crystal Range Traverse to Mt. Price and back to Lyons Lake. Please contact Matt Shargel if you are interested or have questions.
Sep 11-13
Purcell Prusik Skills Night Redwood City Sep 16
Personal Rope Skills (PRS) * Indian Springs, North Tahoe Sep 18-20
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
Personal Rock Skills Signoffs Santa Clara County Parks Oct 9
Low Angle Skills Night TBD Oct 14
High Angle * TBD Oct 17-18
DO Skills Night * Virtual Nov 4
Advance Tech Evolutions Monterey County Nov 21-22
Mental Health Skills Night * TBD Dec 2
On-Road Driver Training TBD Dec 5
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