Meetings and trainings

BAMRU monthly General Meetings are where members discuss recent and future Unit activities, including trainings and missions. General Meetings are open to the public, generally on the third Monday of every month. [See calendar for dates.] We share our expertise and learn from our experiences. Potential applicants are encouraged to attend as many meetings as possible to get to know us and vice versa.

BAMRU also has monthly trainings throughout the year to reinforce member skills and train our first-year cohort. All trainings are led and taught by Unit members. Some trainings are open to guests under specific conditions - please see the guest policy. BAMRU-only trainings advance core competencies. See below for upcoming meetings and trainings and hover over trainings for more information. Asterisks * mark the core program for first-year trainees.

Guest Policy


Permission to participate in a BAMRU training is at the sole discretion of BAMRU. 'G' marks training events that are open to Guests. Selected BAMRU trainings are open to guests provided the guest has:
(1) attended the general meeting preceding the training,
(2) completed Sheriff's Office waiver form and been sworn in by a designated Sheriff's official, and
(3) been approved by that training leader.

Some of the trainings have limited space for guests. All events and schedules are subject to change.



General Meetings

Most BAMRU meetings are hybrid Zoom and in-person, but some are now in-person only. Guests are welcome. For an invitation, email recruiting@bamru.org.

2026

Unit Meeting, TBA Jan 25

Trainings

Weekend trainings are typically full days (8am to 6pm, plus travel time to training site). Weekday trainings are typically evenings only (approximately 7pm to 10pm) and will likely be virtual.

2025

2026 Recert Training - Skill Night ROC Dec 3
On-Road Driver Training TBD Dec 6
Mental Health Skills Night * TBD Dec 10

2026

Snow Camping* TBD Jan 10-11
2026 Tech Rope Recert Training Auburn SRA (Placer County) Jan 17-18
Snow Skills* TBD Jan 31 - Feb 1
2026 Tech Rope Recert Training TBD Feb 7-8
2026 Recert Training - Skill Night TBD Feb 11
2026 Tech Rope Recert Training Sanborn Park (Santa Clara County) Feb 21
CRMRA (NorCal) Tech Rock Reaccreditation Los Padres National Forest (Monterey County) Mar 7
AHC Skills Night* TBD Mar 11
Snow Training Backup* TBD Mar 28-29
Radio and Drone Training TBD Apr 11
OL Training TBD Apr 15
Medical G* TBD Apr 26
Advanced Tech TBD May 23-25
Mock Search G TBD Jun 28
SAR Basic G* TBD Jul 25-26
Onboarding * TBD Aug 12
Gear and Truck Familiarization * TBD Aug 15
Navigation * TBD Navigation training and signoffs, concentrating on map and compass, gps and caltopo usage. Focusing on becoming an effective nav lead during operations. Prerequisite include ability to read topo maps and relate terrain features to topo maps.
Aug 29
Tracking * TBD Aug 30
Purcell Prusik Skills Night TBD Sep 16
Personal Rope Skills (PRS) * TBD Sep 19-20
Low Angle * TBD We will focus on single line rescue systems as an introduction to the larger world of technical rescue. Personal Rock Skills is required to attend this training.
Oct 3
Low Angle Skills Night TBD Oct 14
High Angle * TBD Oct 24-25
DO Skills Night * Virtual Nov 4
Skills Day TBD TBD Nov 14
Mental Health Skills Night * TBD Dec 2
On-Road Driver Training TBD Dec 5

2027

Snow Skills * TBD Jan 9-10
Snow Camping * TBD Jan 30-31
At Home Coordinator (AHC) Skills Night * Virtual Feb 24
Snow Training Backup * TBD Mar 27-28
OL Training * Virtual Apr 14
Medical * G TBD Medical Skills Training is all about putting our skills and knowledge to use. BAMRU has an exciting medical skills training planned this year. Some highlights include guest lecture by Stanford's Wilderness Medicine Fellow, Skill labs with lots of hands on practice, and the BAMRU Medical Olympics where groups compete at a diverse set of wilderness scenarios. Training open to guests, pending Leader approval.
Apr 24
Search Management TBD We will spend two days planning and executing the first operational period of a search operation, in slow motion, in rugged terrain.
May 22-23
Mock SAR G TBD Jun 13
SAR Basic * G TBD Intensive weekend training to orient prospective members on the basic skills required to operate effectively in search and rescue operations. Intended for people with no prior SAR experience. Attendance at SAR Basic is one of the requirements for application to become a Trainee member. Training open to guests, pending Leader approval.
Jul 24-25