THE GROUND TEAM
The Ground Team forms the backbone of Search and Rescue. Everyone on the Search and Rescue  team is first and foremost a ground-pounder, able to navigate their way through heavy brush, over rugged hills and along rivers to find a missing subject. Ground Team members support specialty teams like K9, tracking, ATV and ropes teams in each of their endeavors on a search. When arriving on-scene, the Ground Team is responsible for assessing the terrain and determining specific search tactics.

​Teams of three searchers enter the field together, utilizing maps and navigational tools like a compass or GPS to maintain a high level of accuracy within an assigned area. Ground-pounders are on the constant lookout for clues, relying on their senses and their own two feet to get them where they need to go.

GROUND TEAM TRAINING INFORMATION
-  GPS for the Search Function
-  Labeling Tracks on GPS
-  Navigating with Map and Compass
-  GPS Tutorials (Garmin 60)
​-  GPS Tutorials (Garmin 62)
-  Ground Checklist
-  Ground Team Guidelines
-  Reading Coordinate Systems

WHAT IT TAKES...
Members of the Ground Team must be spot-on navigators and search strategists, knowledgeable in basic SAR skills, like tracking, incident command, helicopter safety, radio communication, crime scene preservation, ropes and rough terrain. Becoming a Ground Team member is the starting-point for any new searcher, requiring completion of the six-week Nevada County Search and Rescue training academy. Once mission ready, many ground-pounders choose to stay on the Ground Team or go on to train in other disciplines.