Joining SPART

Membership Benefits

The primary benefit to joining SPART is the ability to help individuals in need. The King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) is the agency responsible for wilderness search and rescue operations in King County, but they quite simply do not have the resources required to send dozens of rescuers out into the field, so KCSO relies upon volunteer search and rescue organizations within KCSARA to affect rescues. Without SPART and other KCSARA organizations, those lost in the wilderness would have no one to help them. There are other, more tangible, benefits to SPART membership but these are quite often not as fulfilling. SPART members receive discounts from a variety of outdoor goods manufacturers, the opportunity for additional advanced training with KCSO, and the ability to volunteer for various in-city events in a medical capacity. Additionally, SPART provides individual members with some equipment and financial support for additional training.

Application Process

In order to apply for membership in SPART, an individual must first be a member of the National Ski Patrol. Typically membership in the National Ski Patrol is gained by joining one of the ski patrol organizations at the various ski resorts in the Seattle area. These are:

• Summit West Ski Patrol
• Summit Central Ski Patrol
• Summit East (Hyak) Ski Patrol
• Alpental Ski Patrol
• Crystal Mountain Ski Patrol
• Cascade Backcountry Ski Patrol

Once a member of the National Ski Patrol, an individual can apply to join SPART by contacting our President, Erik Olson, at president@kcspart.org

Upon acceptance into SPART, the individual must then fill out the King County Emergency Worker application. Once filled out, SPART will submit this form to the King County Sheriff’s Office for a background investigation.

Training

Upon acceptance by the King County Sheriff’s Office, the candidate will become a novice SPART member while undergoing additional required training. There are two types of required training: material which is required by law (the Revised Code of Washington) for Search and Rescue Emergency Workers, and material which is required by SPART. The reason to distinguish between these two is solely to help prospective candidates understand what training they will need to undergo regardless of which KCSARA Unit they join, and which training is specific to SPART. Once all required training is complete, the individual attains field status and participates fully on missions. Please note that all training must be refreshed on a regular basis by all SPART members, typically every 2 to 3 years.

Training Required by Law

Required by Washington Administrative Code 118.04

• First Aid
• Pathogen Awareness
• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
• Crime Scene Awareness
• Basic & Intermediate Helicopter Safety
• Map & Compass
• Search and Rescue Survival
• Search and Rescue Techniques

Required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive-5

• IS-100, Introduction to Incident Command System (ICS)
• IS-700, National Incident Management System (NIMS)

Training Required by SPART

• Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) or higher (EMT, MD)
  • Fulfills the legal requirements for First Aid and Pathogen Awareness
• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Automated External Defibrillator for the Professional Rescuer (CPR/AED/FPR)
  • Fulfills the CPR legal requirement
• Mountain Travel and Rescue I and II
  • Fulfills the legal requirement for SAR Survival, SAR Techniques, and Map & Compass
• Avalanche I and II