ASARA State SAR Conference

  • 2025 ASARA State SAR Conference

    Updated June 12, 2025

    The Arkansas Search and Rescue Association Board is excited to announce that we will be hosting the 2025 ASARA State Conference June 21-22, 2025 with pre-conference training on Thursday, June 19 and Friday, June 20. The conference will be hosted at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, AR.

    Conference Cost and Information

    Pre-Conference Cost:

    • All Pre-Conference classes are both Thursday and Friday
    • Cost includes attendance to the class and includes breakfast, lunch, and supper both days.
    • Cost may not include required or recommended books or other supplies. Please see course description below for details
    • Worldwide Trackers – Fernando Moreira SAR Tracker 1 Course
      • ASARA Member Teams: $260 per attendee
      • Non-ASARA Members: $280 per attendee
    • NASAR Wilderness First Aid
      • ASARA Member Teams: $190 per attendee
      • Non-ASARA Members: $210 per attendee

    Conference Cost:

    • Cost includes attendance on Saturday and Sunday and includes meals
      • Breakfast, lunch, and supper on Saturday
      • Breakfast and a boxed lunch on Sunday
    • ASARA Member Teams:
      • Early Bird Registration: $100 per attendee
      • Standard Registration (after May 18, 2025): $120 per attendee
    • Non-ASARA Member Teams:
      • Early Bird Registration: $120 per attendee
      • Standard Registration (after May 18, 2025): $140 per attendee
    • Students:
      • Early Bird Registration: $70 per attendee
      • Standard Registration (after May 18, 2025): $100 per attendee
    • ATU Students (does not include any meals):
      • Early Bird Registration: $30 per attendee
      • Standard Registration (after May 18, 2025): $60 per attendee

    Please Note: Class days, cost, and other details are subject to change!

    Please Note: Extra items such as books and ASARA merchandise will be available for purchase at the conference for additional fees.

    Total cost for the Conference will vary depending on which classes you choose to attend, lodging, and any cost associated with optional extras such as ASARA merchandise purchases.

    Deadline to register to get the Early bird discount is Sunday, May 18 by 23:59.

    Any registrations on or after May 19 will be billed at the standard rate. On-campus lodging will not be available after May 18.

    SCHEDULE as of June 12, 2025

    Pre-Conference Course Information

    Worldwide Trackers – Fernando Moreira SAR Tracker 1 course

    Training to prepare SAR members for urban, rural and night tracking under “ideal” conditions. This course is for the SAR or law enforcement person that has the desire to become a tracker for the purpose of Search & Rescue. It is an intensive course with 4 hours of classroom and 16 hours in the field. Based on Jack Kearney’s “Tracking: A Blueprint for Learning How” and developed with his consent, this course teaches all the basics.

    This 20 hour basic class is the foundation to all of our classes.

    https://www.professionaltrackers.com/sar-classes

    NASAR Wilderness First Aid (WFA) Course

    • 16 hours (2 Days)
    • Cost:
      • ASARA Member Teams: $190 per attendee
      • Non-ASARA Members: $210 per attendee
    • Days: Thursday, June 19 and Friday, June 20
    • Lead Instructor: Chris Charles
      • Phone:
      • E-mail:
    • Equipment, Supplies, and Class Materials:
      • NASAR Wilderness First Aid Book
        • Book is NOT included in the course fee
        • Book is available from NASAR bookstore, Amazon, and other sources
      • Pen or pencil
      • Notepad
    • Course Description:

    Wilderness First Aid (WFA) is a 16-hour course designed to equip participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively respond to medical emergencies and injuries in remote and outdoor settings. Students will learn how to assess, treat, and manage common injuries and illnesses that may occur in wilderness environments, where access to medical help is limited or delayed. This course emphasizes hands-on training, scenario-based learning, and practical application of first aid principles in challenging outdoor conditions.

    https://nasar.org/page/WFA

    Breakout Session Information

    Saturday, June 21:

    07:00-08:30

    • Breakfast and Networking

    08:30-10:00

    • Patient Evac Skills – Grant County SAR
      • Attendees should have a current WFA or above certification
    • CalTopo Team Account Administration – Klay Rowbotham
      • Attendees should have Admin permission on their CalTopo Team Account and have a laptop
      • Please note you should be an administrator for a CalTopo Team Account for this session as we will be discussing backend CalTopo Team account administration for things such as setting up sub-teams, mutual aid events, etc and will not be discussing using the mapping parts of CalTopo.
    • SAR Approach to Dementia – Michael Waddle
      • This presentation is designed for search and rescue (SAR) professionals, caregivers, and first responders to understand the unique challenges posed by individuals with dementia during search and rescue operations. Participants will learn about common dementia-related behaviors, such as confusion, disorientation, and agitation, and how these symptoms can impact an individual’s behavior when lost. Participants will have a deeper understanding of how to approach a search and rescue operation involving a person with dementia, as well as effective strategies, tools, and resources for search management.

    10:00-10:30

    • Break and Networking

    10:30-12:00

    • CalTopo Mobile App Basics – Klay Rowbotham
      • This session will focus on basic usage of the CalTopo mobile app with a focus on loading an incident map, joining a mutual aid event, recording tracks, marking points of interest, adding photos, and more
    • Cave Rescue Awareness – Mike Patton & Chad Holderfield, Cavers from the Little Rock Grotto
      • This session will discuss three main categories:
        • “Environmentally Un-Friendly”
          • Adverse temperatures, wet conditions, and total darkness
        • “The System is Rigged”
          • Vertical equipment, rigging, and rope work conditions
        • “Four-Dimensional Thinking”
          • Reading cave maps, historical mapping considerations, and travel time/communication expectations
    • Panel Discussion/Lessons Learned – Panel moderated by Bill Teeter

    12:00-14:00

    • Lunch

    14:00-17:00

    • Sign Awareness Basics – Fernando Moreira
    • Low Angle Rope Basics – Robert Shepherd
    • Specialty Resources for SAR Managers – Cadre
      • This session will discuss search management considerations and use cases for specialty search and rescue resources such as trailing K9s, HRD K9s, Area Search K9s, sUAS, Mounted, ATV/UTVs, etc

    17:00-19:00

    • Dinner

    19:00-21:00

    • “SAR Fun Night” – Details to be determined

    Sunday, June 22:

    07:00 – 08:00

    • Breakfast

    08:00 – 12:00

    • Field Exercise – Details to be determined
    • Management Exercise – Details to be determined

    Immediately following morning activities

    • Lunch & Debrief

    Other Conference Features:

    • Thursday Evening: TBA
    • Friday Evening: Arkansas Search and Rescue Association General Membership Meeting and Election (Note: Must be a member of a current ASARA member team to attend)
    • Saturday Evening: “SAR Fun Night”

    Lodging and Meals

    On-campus lodging is available in Nutt Hall Wednesday, June 18 – Saturday, June 21: $40 per Night

    Virtual Tour of a Nutt Hall Dorm Room – https://youtu.be/Wu-qpW6mn9s

    Attendees will need to provide their own linens.
    No alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or pets are allowed.
    You may also secure your own lodging off-campus if you prefer.

    Please Note: Couples that wish to lodge together will need to specify this on their registration form.

    Please Note: The fees for lodging are in addition to pre-conference and conference fees and any other fees you may have.

    Please Note: Class days, cost, and other details are subject to change!

    Please Note: Extra items such as books and ASARA merchandise will be available for purchase at the conference for additional fees.

    Total Cost for the Conference will vary depending on which classes you choose to attend, lodging, and any cost associated with optional extras such as books or ASARA merchandise purchases.

    Registration Deadline is Sunday, May 18 by 23:59.

    Any registrations on or after May 19 will be billed at the standard rate. On-campus lodging room availability cannot be guaranteed after May 18.

    Thank you to our 2025 ASARA State SAR Conference Sponsors

    Class Sponsors

    Platinum Sponsors

    Gold Sponsors

    • Central Arkansas Nursing Centers

    Silver Sponsors

    Bronze Sponsors

    • Atkins Nursing and Rehab
    • Air Evac Lifeteam
    • Farmhouse Creative Designs

    Are you or your business interested in being a Conference Sponsor? Take a look at our Sponsorship packet or contact an ASARA Board Member

    2025 ASARA State SAR Conference – Sponsor Packet

    On-line Conference Registration Form

    If your team enjoys having events such as our State Conference, please consider having your team join ASARA to help support our efforts. Please see the Membership page for information.

    Please check back here or follow our Facebook Page for updates.

Previous ASARA State Conferences