Swift Water / River Search & Rescue Volunteer

Our RiverSAR volunteers are highly skilled in the white water environment, must be able to think quickly on their feet and keep a level head in stressful situations. Safety is paramount.

You will be highly confident in working in and around swift water. You work daily in this environment or can demonstrate that you recreationally participate in white water activities to a high level.

You will have a reasonably high level of fitness, and swimming ability. Call outs can happen at any time of the day or night, so being used to working in cold water is a must. You must be self-reliant and a huge team player.

Commitment & Training

Swift Water/River Search & Rescue volunteers are called upon to conduct search and rescue operations at any time of the day or night. You, your whānau, and your employer should all be comfortable with this possibility.

Land Search and Rescue provides a variety of training for Swift Water/River Search & Rescue volunteers. Some of it is provided by professional tutors organised at a national level by Land Search and Rescue and some of it is provided by your local group.

With water being such a dynamic environment to work in training is important. Techniques to rescue or search for someone are ever evolving which means training regularly with your team is a priority. Regular training also builds the confidence and trust of each other within your team.

The frequency and duration of training will depend on your local group, but most groups train at least once a month, and a couple of weekends a year.

Swift Water/River SAR teams are located in Upper South Island (Tasman Swift Water), Westland (Hokitika), Canterbury and Mackenzie, and Aspiring National Park and Fiordland (Wanaka).