SARVAC-CSA Request for comments and changes to CSA Z1620-15, Core Competency Standards for Ground Search and Rescue Operations: Searcher, Team Leader, and SAR Manager; and CSA Z1625-16, Training Curriculum Standards for Ground Search and Rescue Operations: Searcher, Team Leader, and SAR Manager
Please be advised that the Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada (SARVAC) and CSA Group (Canadian Standards Association) will be partnering once again to develop new editions of both the CSA Z1620 GSAR Core Competency standard and the CSA Z1625 GSAR Training Curriculum standard. CSA national standards are living documents and it is a requirement to review the standard(s) at least every 5 years and determine the need for a revision.
It has been almost five years since we published the first edition of the CSA Z1620 Core Competency standard (2015), followed by the CSA Z1625 Training Curriculum standard (2016), and it’s been so wonderful to see how the GSAR community and other stakeholders across the country have adopted the use and application of the standards within their operations. Based upon the experiences in using the standards over these past years, there is now an opportunity to make improvements, and evolve both the Z1620 and Z1625 standards so that they will continue to meet the needs of the GSAR community. The evolution of the standards will also be used to facilitate efforts currently underway to look at the potential for supporting a national GSAR accreditation and certification program.
It is our intent to start the process to revise the standards this coming fall 2020. As such we are soliciting comments and proposed changes to the standards from all stakeholders. Please find attached information on how to submit your comments and proposed changes to the CSA Z1620 and Z1625 GSAR standards. All comments and proposed changes will be reviewed and addressed by the CSA GSAR Technical Committee. We are requesting that all comments and proposed changes be submitted by September 14th, 2020.
SARVAC-CSA Request for comments and changes to the CSA Z1620-15 and Z1625-16 GSAR Standards