The Ground Unit provides trained volunteers for ground search and rescue operations. This unit is the core of the KCSAR team. All field personnel are assigned to this unit before going on to specialize in other areas of search and rescue. Members of the Ground Unit are trained in land navigation (with experience using a map and compass in day and night scenarios), basic rope work, patient stabilization, packaging and transport, basic first aid, crime scene awareness, amateur radio communication, and attained or are working to attain the national standard SARTECH II certification.
Members of the Ground Team are also responsible for arriving on-scene with everything they need to accomplish tasks in the field while remaining self-sustained for hours at a time (typically up to 8 hours, though in rare cases prepared for 72 hours in the wilderness).
Typical Tasks of the Ground Unit:
- Area Containment
- Evidence Search
- GPS Trail Creation
- Rapid Searches
- Loose Grid Search
- Rapid Intervention Team
- Tight Grid Search
- Man Tracking/Sign Cutting
- Patient Transport