Where are you located? Getting involved in SAR looks a lot different depending on where you are. In my community most people spend some time outdoors, but there isn't any one focus like rock climbing or kayaking or anything. So we'll take just about anyone who's interested and has reasonable judgement, and find ways they can contribute. You can take someone brand new and have them stand at a trailhead and interview anyone who's coming off the trail, and brief anyone who's heading out onto the trail.

There are some communities where it's competitive to get onto a SAR team. This typically happens in large urban areas right next to popular outdoor locations. If there are 10k rock climbers in an area, there might be so many people interested in climbing SAR that they have limited spots available. That's pretty unusual, though.

SAR is usually administered through the local sheriff's department, although it can differ. Here in Alaska the state troopers are responsible for SAR, but our team is based at our local volunteer fire department. I would encourage you to get in touch with the people responsible for SAR in your area, and ask what it takes to get involved. Often times there are many different ways you can contribute, and it's a tremendously satisfying endeavor. It's also a really nice balance for sitting in front of a screen much of the day!