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How to Get Involved with PMR:
Portland Mountain Rescue is an all-volunteer organization and
we are always looking for good people, 18 years or older, to add to the team.
New members may be accepted into two
roles - Trainee or
Associate.
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Trainee Level Members:
Once they have met specific requirements and have current medical certifications
(minimum of First Aid & CPR), Trainee level members of Portland Mountain Rescue
new members are considered field-deployable. Depending on knowledge and
experience, these members may be used in some types of search and rescue missions
involving extended periods of time in hazardous conditions, carrying heavy gear and
assist with complex rope rigging configurations. Accordingly, Trainees must
display adequate technical competence and physical conditioning in order to safely
operate in the field. They also must train regularly to improve their abilities
and learn the specialized skills involved in mountain search and rescue.
Technical Competence:
PMR members are expected to exhibit safe climbing, technical and survival
skills at all times. To become a PMR Trainee, applicants must be fluent in the following skills:
Basic Map and Compass Use
• Locate true and magnetic positions on a map
• Take a bearing from a map and follow it
• Give latitude & longitude, section, range, township and UTM positions
Basic Alpine Climbing
• Objective hazard evaluation
• Rock and snow anchors
• Common belay methods
• Climbing high angle rock and snow with exposure
Glacier Travel
• Objective hazard evaluation
• Roped travel
• Circumventing crevasses
• Leapfrogging
• Snow anchors
• Glacier-specific belay methods
Knotcraft
• Various forms of figure-8 knots
• Water knot
• Münter and clove hitches
• Prusiks
• Fisherman's knot
Wilderness Survival in an Alpine Environment
• Clothing needs
• Route finding and safety
• Assessing avalanche-prone terrain and risks
• High altitude disorders (HACE, HAPE, etc.)
• Emergency shelter construction
• Identifying hypothermia, frostbite, heat exhaustion and heat stroke
Physical Conditioning:
Despite the extreme conditions and long hours involved in search and
rescue missions, all field-deployable members (including Trainees)
are expected to be physically strong and aerobically fit. This
allows each member to safely contribute to the team effort and avoid
jeopardizing the mission.
Regular physical exercise that is designed to maintain and improve your strength
and aerobic conditioning is very important. Though the Rescue and Support
level PMR members do not monitor your training regime, we do watch how you perform
in field situations. The veteran members will advise a Trainee on their
physical conditioning when warranted, but Trainees are expected to maintain good
conditioning on their own. This assures your own safety, as well as the
safety of the team.
Initial Training Requirements:
After a prospective Trainee is accepted as a non-field-deployable Trainee, but
before the Trainee may participate in any missions, the new member must complete
the following steps:
1. Attend at least one classroom training session.

2. Attend at least one field training session.

3. Receive a recommendation from two Rescue level members. This may
be accomplished through participation in a field training session or at least one
mountaineering climb or other alpine climbing activity involving technical skills
with a Rescue level member of PMR (stongly encouraged).

4. Provide copies of current CPR card and medical training card with at least
a Basic First Aid certification level.
The new member must advance to field-deployable status by January 1st of the year
following acceptance into PMR.
Annual Training:
After completing the initial training requirements successfully, Trainees
must complete an annual training regimen. Though new members are expected
to already have good climbing and survival skills before joining the team, they
must train regularly to learn and develop the specialized skills of mountain
search and rescue.
• Annual training classes begin in September.
• The PMR Training Year is September 1 until August 31.
• Application submission cutoff date is July 15.
• It may take time for applicants to be contacted on their membership status.
Training requirements for all three field-deployable levels are
shown below, with the Trainee level highlighted in red:
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Trainee
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Support
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Rescue
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Minimum Annual Hours of Training
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CPR & Basic First Aid Certification
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CPR & Basic First Aid Certification
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CPR & Basic First Aid Certification
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High-Angle Rock and Snow Evacuation Skills
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10 credit hours of PMR or equivalent training
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10 credit hours of PMR or equivalent training
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10 credit hours of PMR or equivalent training
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NOT required for advancement to Support
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Required for advancement to Rescue
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Practice Session Attendance
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Minimum 2 per year

Every 2 years:
2 practice sessions
or
1 field & classroom session utilizing high-angle or highlines
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Minimum 2 per year

Every 2 years:
2 practice sessions
or
1 field & classroom session utilizing high-angle or highlines
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Note: You must have at least the minimum credit hours noted above
to comply with the Portland Mountain Rescue and Oregon State
Sheriff's Association training requirements. Hours will be
logged on a training year basis. A new member has 2 training
years to advance to Support Level.
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Do you think you have what it takes to be a PMR Trainee? If so,
please visit the Application Process
section for instructions.
Top of Page
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Associate Level Members:
Though not allowed in the field during search and rescue missions, Associate level members
make up the backbone of Portland Mountain
Rescue. Without their "behind the scenes" help, the
field-deployable members of PMR would be overtaxed by support duties
and unable to focus on rescue related activities. Believe it
or not, one-third of PMR members are Associates!
Associate level members contribute toward the overall mission in a
variety of valuable roles:
Fundraising:
PMR is a non-profit organization that receives all funding
through private and corporate donations. We are not
government supported and members are not compensated for the
activities. In order to acquire sufficient operating funds,
we spend significant time seeking sponsorship through direct
mailings, public speaking and corporate communications.
There are always plenty of opportunities to help the team in this
important role.
Search and rescue mission base operations:
Depending on their abilities and training, Associates may
participate in SAR support roles such as mission planner, equipment
manager, radio operator and truck driver. This allows as
many Rescue, Support and Trainee level members as possible to
enter the field during missions.
Equipment Maintenance:
This is a big job! Most of our missions rely on well
maintained equipment such as radios, medical gear, climbing
hardware and ropes. The equipment requires cleaning,
organization and occasional repairs in order to make our missions
safe and efficient.
Public Education:
Our mission is "saving lives through rescue and
education." In support of the mission, we need members
that would like to participate in educational presentations to schools, scout troops, civic
organizations, television stations and other interested parties.
We also produce a regular newsletter that Associates help with writing, graphic
designing and layout.
PMR Committees:
Associates fill valuable roles in many of our committees, such as
Financial Planning, Medical, Membership, Operations, Ready Team,
Special Events and Training.
It's important to stress that there may be future avenues for an Associate to become a
Trainee level member. However, since PMR does not teach basic
climbing skills, the Associate will need to learn these skills on their own.
Would you like to contribute to the team as an Associate?
If so, please visit the Application Process
section for instructions.
Top of Page
For more information, please visit the What Is PMR? section.
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