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.

2024

Unit Meeting, Hybrid Aug 19
Unit Meeting, ROC, 501 Winslow St, Redwood City, CA Sep 16
Unit Meeting, Hybrid Oct 21
Unit Meeting, Hybrid Nov 18

2025

Unit Meeting, TBD Jan 27
Unit Meeting, TBD Feb 24
Unit Meeting, TBD Mar 17
Unit Meeting, TBD Apr 21
Unit Meeting, TBD May 19

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.

2024

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.
Aug 24-25
Onboarding * TBD Sep 18
Gear & Truck Familiarization Training * RWC ROC Sep 21
Purcell Prusik Skills Night TBD Sep 25
Personal Rock Skills (PRS) * TBD This two day course covers general rock skills skill stations, scenarios, and discussion of their application within the SAR community. Topics include anchors (trad gear and natural protection), belaying, rappelling, basic self-rescue, jugging/ascending, and personal emergency evac equipment with scenarios. Focus will be on both theory and practice. Personal rock skills is a prerequisite for Basic Technical Training.
Sep 28-29
Navigation * TBD Navigation training and signoffs, concentrating on map and compass, gps and caltopo usage. Focusing on becoming an effective nav lead during operations. Prerequisite include ability to read topo maps and relate terrain features to topo maps.
Oct 26
Low Angle * Foothill Nature Preserve, Palo Alto 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 27
Low Angle Skills Night * TBD Nov 6
High Angle * TBD Nov 16-17
DO Skills Night * TBD Dec 4
On-Road Driver Training * TBD Dec 7
Off-pavement Driver Training TBD Dec 8
Mental Health Skills Night * TBD Dec 11
Mental Health Skills Night * TBD Dec 11
Mental Health Skills Night * TBD Dec 11

2025

MRA Reaccreditation: Wilderness Search & Tracking San Mateo County Mar 8
Snow Training Backup Dates * TBD Mar 22-23
Tracking * G TBD The tracking training will cover primarily basic topics in tracking - recognizing sign, preserving clues, the structure of a tracking team, and following sign. Guests are welcome at this training, pending leader approval.
Apr 26
Medical * TBD Apr 27
Medical * TBD Apr 27
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 17-18