Interviewees: Elizabeth Anderson and Nimisha Thakur

Age: 52 | Gender: Male

Chris Davis is a 52-year-old Professor in the informatics department. He volunteered for search and rescue from 2006 to 2013. He worked as an EMT volunteer at a fire department for 12 years and currently serves as a wildlife search and rescue volunteer. He started out at an emergency operation center as a Radio Operator. He provided information on the EMT and search and rescue certification requirements as well as the current evaluation techniques used in the training process.

Chris shared with us helpful resources about the training and certifications for SAR missions as follows:

• California State Fire Training - California State Fire Training (SFT) is the OSFM division that establishes, develops, and delivers standardized training and education for the California fire service. The State Fire Training website serves as a valuable resource and a one-stop-shop for all things related to the State Fire Training.

• Incident Management Resources - It’s a resource management system where you can type, order, and track all response assets.

• NASAR - The National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR) has been in existence since 1972. Originally started to represent the State Search and Rescue Coordinators, NASAR grew to represent all SAR volunteers and continues to support the State Search and Rescue Coordinators Committee (SSARCC). NASAR uses standards developed by ASTM, NFPA, DHS, FEMA, and other respected bodies to build education courseware, publications, and certifications.

Certificate and Training options

• Wilderness Search and rescue

• Urban Search and rescue

• EMT medical technician

• Emergency management