Causes: Crime & Law, Crime Prevention, Disaster Aid, Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness & Relief, Search & Rescue Squads

Mission: BAMRU is an all-volunteer, wilderness search and rescue (SAR) unit, based in the San Francisco Bay Area. We look for and help people lost, injured, or stranded anywhere outdoors in California.

Members of BAMRU are climbers, mountaineers, and backpackers who train in a variety of skills used for wilderness rescue.

The unit is an independent, non-profit corporation, affiliated with the San Mateo County (California) Sheriff's Emergency Services Bureau. BAMRU is a member organization of the Bay Area Search and Rescue Council (BASARC) and of the Mountain Rescue Association.

Programs: Search and Rescue - The primary purpose of the Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit is saving lives and relieving suffering. The Unit is called out for wilderness as well as urban, suburban, and rural searches. They have successfully found missing children and people with Alzheimer's and other dementia. Other subjects of searches include outdoor enthusiasts such as hikers, bikers, hunters, climbers, and bird watchers.

Training - BAMRU members spend about four hours training for every one hour spent on search and rescue operations. BAMRU members train for and practice a wide variety of skills used in wilderness search and rescue operations. These skills include land navigation, rock climbing and mountaineering, use of technical (rope) rescue systems, tracking, search operation management, radio communication, and emergency medicine.

Education - BAMRU is active in outdoor safety education for children and adults. School age children enjoy the Hug-a-Tree and Survive presentation. SAR for Group Leaders , and hands-on Improvised Rescue are popular with adults.

BAMRU instructors are sought out for conferences and training programs for search and rescue personnel.