SAR Techs are a group of elite, highly trained rescue specialists who
provide on-scene medical aid and extrication from some of the harshest
and most remote areas of Canada. Expectations are high and demands are
great, as SAR Techs are routinely called upon to execute dangerous, and
often heroic, acts in their efforts to aid the sick and injured.
SAR Techs generally work in teams of two and operate in all Canadian
climates (maritime, wilderness, alpine and arctic) and terrain (land,
sea and air). On any given day, SAR Techs could find themselves in one
of the following situations:

• 200 miles out to sea over the merciless Atlantic, hoisting to a ship that is being tossed around by 20-foot waves, rendering medical aidto a severely injured sailor.

• Parachuting at night into the deathly cold of the high Arctic and landing on an ice flow to assist a wounded Inuit hunter

• Underwater, groping in the dark to rescue a trapped fisherman from an overturned fishing vessel.

• Clinging perilously to the edge of a glacial crevasse while coordinating the mountain rescue of a fallen climber.

The very nature of the occupation requires that SAR Techs be strong team
players as well as independent thinkers. To be selected for SAR Tech
training, the applicant must have at least three years experience in
another military occupation or be a civilian paramedic. Eligible
candidates must also have demonstrated leadership ability, integrity and
an aptitude for learning

Each year, applications are forwarded to Ottawa for occupational transfer to the SAR Tech trade. The applications are scrutinized by a board of senior SAR Techs and 30 people are selected to attend the two-week pre-selection course held in February of each year. Through this selection course, suitable applicants are chosen to begin the 11 month SAR Tech course at 19 Wing Comox in August.

There are approximately 145 SAR Techs in the Canadian Forces posted to Search and Rescue Units, Schools and Headquarters across Canada.