Preamble

The mission of Palouse Clearwater Search and Rescue (PCSAR) is to aid in the search for and rescue of overdue/lost people, primarily in a non-urban environment, and to assist Law enforcement in crime scene searches.

PCSAR is a volunteer organization. Members are motivated by their desire to help others rather than monetary rewards.

As unpaid professionals our organization holds high expectations of its members. Since people are its almost-exclusive resource, we expect members to show dedication to the group and its mission by:

• Ongoing building of technical skills
• Developing interpersonal skills
• Learning to be a team member

The Standing Rules for PCSAR are intended to be an objective-as-possible way to measure, and thus manage, these attributes. The group's Officers are authorized and accountable for monitoring and measuring members' dedication, and working with members to meet the standards set by the Standing Rules.

Safety is of primary concern is safety, the adage, “Rescuer first.” Some rules are designed to protect unskilled, unable, or undedicated people from harm. Other rules are designed to promote member growth by providing the only reward available: increased privileges.

Individual member’s abilities and interests differ. The group does not demand or expect perfection in every area; members will have different levels of expertise and commitment.

A member’s tenure with PCSAR starts with his or her first encounter with the group and ends with the severance of service. During this time the member goes from a person with unknown skills, abilities and commitment to a known entity. The relationship ends when the member fails to meet the requirements set forth in the rules. During a member’s tenure her or his level of involvement may change and, as a result, her or his privileges and responsibilities may change. Part of the duties of the PCSAR leadership is to measure a member’s status, encourage him/her in growth, and advise him or her of deficiencies.

Membership conveys eligibility for these privileges:

• Voting on group actions.
• Serving as an Officer.
• Receiving electronic mail through the PCSAR mail redirection facility.
• Receiving summons to a search.
• Assisting in Base Camp operations.
• Operating “in the field” during a search.
• Leading a PCSAR operational team.

All interested people are welcome (and encouraged) to attend:

• Business meetings
• PCSAR training events
• PCSAR public service events

Standing Rules as of October 10, 2018

SR 1:

In order to gain membership, candidates must meet certain requirements. Some devolve from the Latah County> Sheriff, some from the Latah County SAR Council, and some from PCSAR:

1. Pass a background check conducted by the Sheriff’s Office.
2. Submit a PCSAR application which includes providing information and agreeing to the principles and rules of PCSAR.
3. Attend and actively participate in three regular membership meetings within a six month period.

When all the above have been attained, the candidate absents himself or herself and the Members present vote to grant, or not to grant, membership to the candidate. A simple majority is required to grant membership. A Member holds these privileges:

• Voting on group actions.
• Serving as an Officer.
• Receiving electronic mail through the PCSAR mail redirection facility.
• Receiving summons to a search.
• Assisting in Base Camp operations.
• Operating “in the field” during a search.
• Leading a PCSAR operational team when authorized by the Officers.

SR 2:

New members are expected to attain and maintain these skills:

1. Show certification in Basic First Aid / CPR or higher training level, or attain certification within one year of membership.
2. Show documentation of blood-borne pathogen training within one year of membership.
3. Attend Council-taught training on Meth Lab Awareness at the first opportunity.
4. Obtain certification within six months in these training modules:
1. ICS-100: Introduction to Incident Command System,
2. NIMS-700: National Incident Management System (NIMS) An Introduction

SR 3:

Members are expected to actively participate by:

1. Paying dues of $10.00 per year starting with their first annual meeting in March
2. Attending a minimum of six regular business meetings per calendar year. A new member is excused from this requirement for the remainder of his or her first calendar year.
3. Attending a minimum of 50% of field training events per calendar year. At least two of the training events must be PCSAR or SAR Council-wide training. The other four events may be with other SAR Council units. A new member is excused from this requirement for the remainder of his or her first calendar year.
4. Maintaining certification in First Aid/CPR.
5. Maintaining awareness of blood-borne pathogens risk by attending SAR Council-taught training on blood-borne pathogens at least once every year.
6. Maintaining awareness of risks associated with methamphetamines as related to SAR operations by attending Council-taught training on Meth Lab Awareness at least every two years.
7. Responding to SAR mobilizations as a Member’s availability allows.
8. Demonstrating interpersonal skills and team spirit during meetings and trainings.
9. Failure to satisfactorily meet these expectations may result in termination from the unit.

SR 4:

If a member's participation (as specified in SR3) dwindles, an Officer will contact the member to remind him or her of the expectations and to discuss the situation. The member is expected to show that he or she is working to meet the expectations within a time frame of three months. If the member fails to meet the expectations within this time then his or her membership may be terminated by the Officers with the prior approval of the Sheriff.

1. If the Officers vote to terminate membership, written notification will be provided to the member.
2. All privileges are revoked upon termination of membership.

SR 5:

A member may petition the Officers to become an Inactive member when he or she may be unable to meet the requirements for membership (e.g. planning to be out of the area for an extended period). This status is granted by the Officers for up to six months and may be re-granted for up to two years. To return to active membership the member petitions to the Officers and meets the requirements described above Standing Rules 2 and 3. (Voting for membership is not required.) An inactive member’s privileges are reduced to receiving electronic mail for members.

SR 6:

Members are encouraged to attain and maintain these skills and abilities to the best of their abilities:

1. Knowledge of the chain of command during a search.
2. Have a field pack that includes 80% of the items shown in the Pack Contents document.
3. Operate in mountainous terrain while carrying a field pack.
4. Be Clue Aware.
5. Ground search methods.
6. Navigation (compass, GPS, and map reading)
7. Radio use and procedures.
8. Crime scene preservation.
9. Lead a ground search team.
10. Perform a debriefing interview.
11. Perform Base Camp tasks such as Radio Operator, Unit Liaison, Sign-In