Joining as a Search and Rescue member

This is a voluntary, unpaid role. The following sections provide a general overview of the recruitment and probationary process – as you read through, please bear in mind the TIME and COMMITMENT involved in being a member!

You must be aged 18-years or over and be fit and healthy enough to undertake physical tasks in all weathers. You must be a regular hill-walker and able to move across open moorland and difficult, sometimes steep, terrain. Experience with other outdoor activities such as climbing or mountaineering is not required but you must have the equipment and skills necessary to look after yourself outdoors in all weathers, including navigating using a map and compass by day and night.

You must also be willing to work as part of a team, live in our operational area (see map on this page), have regular access to your own transport and be prepared to commit a very significant amount of your time. Do not underestimate the time commitment involved – not just for call-outs (which can come at anytime, often in the early hours of a morning) but also for our weekly Wednesday evening training sessions and at least five practice weekends a year. In addition there is an expectation that you will be available for a wide range of events including assisting with fundraising activities – these tend to be additional weekend commitments. Also bear in mind the potential disruption to your life; as already mentioned, call-outs can come at anytime of the day or night, sometimes lasting for many hours and often interrupting family and social plans.

Once applications are invited (not yet!) people will be invited to register to attend an Open Session at our Base near Great Ayton (normally in February & March – but this may change). These are opportunities to meet Team members and to find out more about what the application process and membership involves.

If having attended the Open Session you still wish to continue with an application, you will then be required to submit an application form and, subject to an assessment of that, you may be invited to an Assessment Day in the summer. That session will include a daytime navigation exercise using map & compass. It will be mandatory to attend on that day; no other assessment days will be offered.

If you are successful on the assessment day you will be required to attend training sessions as a ‘prospective member’ for a period of 10-12 weeks between September and December, normally held every Wednesday evening plus at least one weekend. If you cannot commit the time to attend the majority of those sessions then you should not apply! During that period you must pass a night-time navigation exercise using map & compass.

You will be required to submit to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

At the end of this initial training period your progress will be considered by the Committee and if satisfactory you will progress to ‘probationary status’ and subsequently become liable for call-out.

You would then have to complete a minimum of 12-months as a Search and Rescue probationer and be subject to continuous training and assessment during that time. Only after the 12-month point, will the Committee decide whether or not to make you a full Team member.

In addition to acquiring technical search and rescue skills, you must realise that you will be joining a dedicated team of volunteers, where team-work is not simply an addition to the normal workload, but is an integral part of the role. It is again stressed that the time commitment is significant and should not be underestimated!

You cannot register or apply yet as applications for 2024 have now closed. Please follow us on social media to find out when we will next be recruiting (probably 2025 at the earliest). In the meantime if you have any queries please contact us on recruitment@clevelandmrt.org.uk. Please remember that we are all volunteers so it might take a day or two to reply.