Searching for a rewarding volunteer opportunity? Pennington County Search and Rescue’s recruitment night is coming up!

RAPID CITY, S.D. — Pennington County Search and Rescue is holding a recruitment night on Tuesday, October 25 at 6:30 p.m. It’ll be located at 140 E. Main Street N. in Rapid City. If you are interested in becoming a first responder and want to get some part time training and experience, or if you just want to try to to lend a helping hand to your community, this might be the perfect fit. Here are ten quick facts you might want to know before you go.

1. You must be 18 years old to apply.
2. No experience is required.
3. Training is weekly on Tuesday evenings and occasional weekends.
   “We do ‘fundamentals of search and rescue’, which gives you the information on what you need to have in your search pack, how to run our ropes, what the proper way to do a hasty search is, how to do a grid search and all the different styles of searches we do,” explains Pennington County Search and Rescue team member Jason Dannenbring.  
4. It’s not all searching- vehicle extrications, high (and low) angle rope rescues, trench rescues, and water or ice rescues are also in the mix.
5. Volunteers are always on call and respond to an average of 150 calls per year.
   “There might be a week we don’t get a call. There might be three days in a row that we get a call. There might be three calls in one day,” says Pennington County Search and Rescue Maintenance Officer Nate Smith. 
6. Search and Rescue performs rescues of humans and pets.
7. You’ll often be working alongside local firefighters and law enforcement.
   “We do a lot. We’re just a cog in the wheel of everything that’s happening here with the volunteer fire department, the professional firefighters, the the law enforcement agencies. We work with every single one of them,” Dannenbring adds.  
8. Much of the gear is provided, and if you frequently spend time outdoors, you probably have most of what you need already.
9. Pennington County Search and Rescue was founded in 1973, after first responders realized they needed a team trained to handle all types of rescue efforts.

Here’s one more: volunteers say it’s difficult but incredibly rewarding work. “I think that your family will see the happiness and the change in you,” Dannenbring says.