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3720 Walnut St
Boulder, CO, 80301
United States

303-449-4141

Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Inc. (RMRG) is an all-volunteer organization trained and equipped for search and rescue on mountainous terrain in all weather conditions. Founded in 1947, we are Boulder County's primary mountain rescue agency, but upon request also assist other mountain rescue teams outside the county. We also provide outdoor recreation safety education and disaster response services. RMRG is a non-profit IRS 501(c)3 organization and we do not charge for our services.

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Becoming a Member of RMRG

We do not have an active training class, so the information below is for reference only. We typically have a new Application & training class every 2-3 years, so 2026 is our rough estimate for the next class. If you would like to be notified about our next training class, you may complete this expression of interest form: Form Link

Overview

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, you have come to the right page. We are excited that you are considering giving back to the Boulder County community as a member of our team.

RMRG will have an upcoming training class in Spring 2023 with applications due on January 31st, 2023 by 5PM MST.

PROGRAM requirements

To be considered for this program, you will be asked to do the following:

  • Agree to a background check, for which you may be required to pay a small fee.

  • Provide proof of COVID vaccination. In the context of the ongoing global pandemic, RMRG will require an individual to be fully vaccinated with any FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine series prior to being accepted as a candidate. All of this information will be kept confidential within RMRG.

  • Show a willingness and ability to devote the time to both the training process to become a member and then ongoing time for training and SAR calls once you are a member. SAR missions often require interrupting what you are doing (work, family, etc) and responding to unscheduled events at odd times including work hours, nights, weekends, and holidays. With RMRG’s 70+ members responding to 200 SAR calls a year, membership is a significant time commitment that should not be underestimated.

  • Commit to several required events (details below)

    • Before the PTP, attend one of the Intro to RMRG Lectures in January 2023

    • Attend all 4 days of the PTP Weekends in April 2023

    • After the PTP, attend a minimum of 4 Meetings and 4 Practices per calendar quarter on an ongoing basis

How to apply

  1. Submit an application for Prospective Membership by 5PM MST on January 31st, 2023 (APPLICATION IS CLOSED)

  2. You must attend one of the two in person “Intro to RMRG” lectures (the lectures are identical) on the following dates. Please see our training calendar for the location closer to the date.

    • January 11th, 2023 6:30-8:00pm

    • January 25th, 2023 6:30-8:00pm

AFTER YOU APPLY

After the application period is over, a committee of members will review all applications and select candidates to interview. Interviews with candidates will be scheduled in February or early March 2023.

After the interviews, the committee will make a final selection of prospective members to admit into the training class by early April 2023.

prospective training program (PTP) Weekends

If you are invited to join the prospective training program, you will need to:

  • Fully attend both PTP weekends which are designed to provide you with a basic knowledge of mountain search and rescue:

    • April 15-16, 2023

    • April 29-30, 2023

  • Pass a knot test at the beginning of the first weekend (expertly tie bowlines, figure 8’s, water knot, double sheetbend, double fisherman’s, munter hitch, prussik, and clove hitch*).

  • Pass a deeper knot test at the end of the second weekend (expertly tie bowlines, figure 8’s, water knot, double sheetbend, double fisherman’s, munter hitch, prussik, and clove hitch*)

    *note that the knots pluralized can be tied in multiple ways and all may be tested

RESCUE TRAINING

After the PTP weekends, you will be assigned mentors and start attending team-wide Wednesday night meetings and Sunday morning field practices. Going to as many meetings and practices as you can provides you with the background and skills to move towards full membership and gives members the opportunity to get to know you. Prospective members must maintain a minimum attendance of 4 field practices and 4 meetings in every calendar quarter in order to continue in the program.

Your mentors will also arrange focused trainings, which will give you the opportunity to practice and perfect required skills, and get additional hands-on time with team gear.

Member Application & Vote

It typically takes prospective members 12 to 18 months of regular attendance at meetings and practices before being ready to submit a membership application.

Election to membership is determined by a majority vote of active members assessing your technical competency along with many other non-technical factors. Completion of the PTP and search and rescue training is not a guarantee of election to membership.

RMRG MemberSHIP

Once you are elected, you will participate as a fully contributing member of the team on mountain search and rescue missions.


who is a “QUALIFIED” candidate?

Many wonder what it takes to get on the team. The skills on our team range from basic hiking experience to world-class free-climbing and aid climbing experience, and everything in between. While most of our members carry a basic first aid and CPR card (the minimum entry requirement), we have WFRs, EMTs, paramedics, nurses, PAs, and emergency physicians. Areas of employment range from undergrad students to engineers, entrepreneurs to sheriff's officers, carpenters to consultants. There is no one skillset or experience level that defines our group; the most important qualities in a rescuer are intelligence, humility, character, love of the outdoors and a desire to help others as part of a team.