BAMRU is an all-volunteer wilderness search and rescue (SAR) unit, based in the San Francisco Bay Area. They look for and help people lost or stranded anywhere outdoors in the state of California.

They are an accredited member of the Mountain Rescue Association and is a FEMA and California OES Type I search and rescue resource. What that means is that they have demonstrated the ability to perform well, in all terrain and weather at any time of the year and in any conditions.

BAMRU team members come with a variety of skills including climbing , mountaineering, backpacking and skiing. BAMRU members live all over the Bay Area, from Marin to Santa Cruz and from San Francisco to Contra Costa County. We particularly welcome people who live in our home county of San Mateo.

You will need to be at least 18 years old and experienced at backpacking. You will also need to be able to plan and execute a multi-day Sierra backpacking trip. You have to have good physical conditioning to perform well on long days, sometimes with little sleep. We very much welcome specialized skills, including rock climbing and mountaineering, advanced medical training, ham radio, and prior SAR experience. They are particularly interested in people with glacier travel and alpine experience. But these are not prerequisites. They do require certification in CPR for the professional rescuer (either American Red Cross CPR for the Professional Rescuer or American Heart Association Basic Life Support for the Healthcare Provider) and Basic First Aid before application to become a Trainee Member. These are not required to participate in trainings as a guest.

The N.W.M.R.A. or (The North Wales Mountain rescue Association) was formed in the early 1970′s, in order to address the needs of mountain rescue and patrol in North Wales.  Before the N.W.M.R.A. there was no real organized manner in which to provide life saving rescue missions into this raw and sometimes dangerous countryside.

Mountain rescue services in Wales are provided under the control and supervision of the Mountain Rescue Committee of Britain in conjunction with the Police.

It is a basic requirement of the Police Service to be involved in the saving of life. However, the functions of a Constable in England and Wales have never been defined by statute, although reference is made to his duties in the form of the attestation which he is required to make when joining the Police Service, and consequently the life saving aspect of his role is an accepted and understood practice.

Ogwen Valley is the most northerly of the main valleys in Snowdonia National Park in North Wales.  1000 meter high mountains  circle the valley and the environment can be extremely rugged and challenging to cross.   With eleven of the 3000-feet peaks and cliffs that reach about 300-400 metres in height this area is visited frequently by hikers.

There are approximately 50 people on the search and rescue team here, all volunteers, many of whom are qualified to a high standard of First Aid. There are also a number of Search Managers and Swift Water Rescue technicians. Although they are completely independent of the Police, they work at their request; Team Members are then contacted by telephone or SMS. RAF Valley has a flight of Sea King SAR helicopters 20 minutes’ flying time away and we often work together in rescuing and searching for people.  The rescue team here sees about 100 search and rescue missions per year in this region.  Response times are usually within less than 30 minutes.