MRA Facts
- Who makes up the MRA membership?
- How can I join the Mountain Rescue Association?
- What is MRA's position on charging for search and rescue?
- Can I get or trade for an MRA patch?
- Does MRA have a magazine publication?
- How do I get a job in Mountain Rescue?
The large majority of our membership is made up of unpaid professional volunteers who have been fully accredited in Mountain Search and Rescue operations. The remainder of our member teams are“Ex-officio” units, which are paid professionals in governmental service, and “Associate” units which are other mountain SAR related teams or groups. Visit the About MRA link above for more information about our organization, or click on the Teams link to find out about MRA units in your area.
The Mountain Rescue Association (MRA) is comprised of highly-skilled, active mountain rescue teams from around the country, and has stringent requirements for membership. The teams themselves make up the Association, therefore individual memberships are NOT available.
To become accredited by MRA, each regular member team must pass three different tests based on guidelines drawn up by the Association. These tests are conducted on appropriate terrain by at least three current MRA teams working together to evaluate the applicant group being tested. The tests involve high-angle rescue (rock rescue), Ice and snow, and wilderness search.
Once a team has achieved full MRA status, it is expected that the new members will be trained to MRA guidelines and tested accordingly by their team. MRA- qualified personnel within teams are called Rescue Members. Accredited teams must re-test every five years to maintain their accreditation in the Mountain Rescue Association.
Because MRA teams are test-qualified by their peers, local, state, and federal agencies feel confident about working with them on search and rescue operations.
Qualified teams work hard for accreditation. Members meeting MRA guidelines are proud to wear the blue and white MRA patch.
MRA's Position Statement on charging for SAR:
The Mountain Rescue Association (MRA) with 80 teams from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom -- most of which are comprised of expert volunteer members -- work through or for a local government search and rescue authority. In an effort to give back to the community, defray public agencies' costs and keep taxes down, the MRA teams have been performing the bulk of all search and rescue operations for the past 45 years and those were done without charge to the victim.
The MRA firmly believes that training and education are the keystones in the solution to this issue. We believe that the individual must accept responsibility for his or her actions and that training in proper outdoors skills and for self-rescue might be the quickest and most effective method of resolving most rescue situations.
However, no one should ever be made to feel they must delay in notifying the proper authorities of a search or rescue incident out of fear of possible charges. We ask all outdoors groups and organizations to join us in sending this mountain safety education message.
We recognize that the National Park Service and other governmental agencies have a need to address defraying their costs and we would welcome any opportunity to be involved in discussion of solutions or alternatives to the charge for rescue issue. The expert volunteer teams of MRA are proud to be able to Provide search and rescue at NO cost and have NO plans to charge in the future.
The Mountain Rescue Association is "a volunteer organization dedicated to saving lives through rescue and mountain safety education."
See position statement on proposed Washington House Bill 1214.
Mountain Rescue Association Corporate Symbol
The Mountain Rescue Association blue and white logo is a Registered Trade Mark. Only accredited MRA units and personnel are authorized to display the logo with decals, stickers, patches or embroidery, etc.
Many of the MRA organizations have their own patch and trading or giving their team patches is set by individual unit policy.
The MRA has an electronic newsletter published periodically called "The Meridian." All individuals of MRA who subscribe to the lister will receive a copy when published, and the most recent version is also available for viewing online.
We are often asked “How do I get a job in Mountain Rescue?” In the United States, the vast majority of individuals that provide the critically important mountain rescue services are volunteers. With few exceptions, the individual members of Mountain Rescue Association (MRA) teams work as highly trained volunteer professionals, which means that they each have “real jobs.”
Among the most notable of the few exceptions are the rescue professionals that work in National Parks. In particular, park rangers in such parks as Yosemite, Denali, and Mt. Rainier perform rescues routinely…but they also serve in other functions when not engaged in rescues; functions such as park management, law enforcement and visitor interpretation. Go to www.usajobs.gov and search on terms like "Park Ranger" for current job listings.
Individuals interested in acquiring training in search and rescue have a few options available to them. By joining a volunteer search and rescue team, individuals receive “on the job” training as part of their new member orientation. Individuals interested in more structured national training programs should evaluate the valuable trainings available through the National Association of Search and Rescue (NASAR) at www.nasar.org.
Finally, individuals interested in technical rope rescue training should contact the private businesses that provide such programs, including Ropes That Rescue (www.RopesThatRescue.com) and Rigging for Rescue (www.RiggingForRescue.com).
Thank you for your interest in mountain rescue.
