This guide establishes the minimum standard for training land search team members as it relates to their general, field, and search specific knowledge and skills. A person trained to this guide is a Level I land search team member.

Every person who is identified as a Level I land search team member shall have met the requirements of this guide.

This guide is to be used by individuals and agencies having jurisdiction that wish to identify the minimum training standards for Level I land search team members.

This guide is only the first level of training for land search personnel and as such, only establishes the minimum knowledge and skills required for a person to perform land search.

Nothing in this guide precludes an AHJ from adding additional requirements for its own members.

This guide by itself is not a training document. It is only an outline of the topics required for training or evaluating a Level I land search team member, but it can be used to develop a training document or program.

It is up to the AHJ to determine the depth or detail of training to meet its needs.

This guide does not stand alone and must be used with the referenced documents to provide the specific information needed by a Level I land search team member or AHJ.

Though this guide establishes the minimum standards, it does not imply that a Level I land search team member is a “trainee,” “probationary,” or other similar term member of an AHJ. It is up to the AHJ to determine the requirements and qualifications for member ratings.

This guide can be used to evaluate a book or other document to determine if its content meets the necessary topics for training a Level I land search team member. Likewise, the guide can be used to evaluate an existing training program to see if it meets the requirements of this guide.

The knowledge and skills requirements presented in the following sections are not presented in any particular order and do not represent a training sequence.

Except where a physical skill needs to be shown, it is up to the AHJ, instructor, evaluator, or tester to determine the best way to evaluate a person's knowledge. This may be by written exam, oral exam, demonstration, or by some combination of the three.

1.1 This guide establishes the minimum training standard for Level I land search team members as it relates to their general, field, and search specific knowledge and skills.

1.2 A Level I land search team member searches on the surface of the land only. This guide does not provide the minimum training requirements for searching in partially or fully collapsed structures, in or on water, in confined spaces, or underground (such as caves, mines, and tunnels.)

1.2.1 A Level I searcher may be used, with the above limitations, in remote areas including urban or disaster areas that may be isolated or have lost their infrastructure.

1.3 A Level I land search team member is required to have only an overview level of knowledge of rescue as it pertains to “search and rescue.” No knots, rope, litter, or other rescue skills are required of a Level I land search team member.

1.3.1 Basic rescue skills and knowledge are found in Guide F2751.

1.4 Level I land search team members must work under direct supervision of Level II searchers (Guide F2685) or other experienced search personnel.

1.5 Level I land search team members are eligible to be members of Type II search teams or crews as defined in Classification F1993.

1.5.1 Type II teams which may utilize personnel trained to this guide are Kind A (wilderness), Kind B (urban), and Kind C (mountainous) Kind J (evidence/cadaver) and Kind K (missing aircraft).

1.6 Further training may be required before a Level I land search team member can actually participate on a particular kind of search team, depending on authority having jurisdiction regulations or policies.

1.7 Training and performance standards developed in the F32 committee refer to levels. Level one (I) is the basic or entrance level and numbers increase with increasing skills and knowledge.

1.7.1 Levels are based on training and do not correspond to Incident Command System typing, which is based on capability.

1.8 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory requirements prior to use.