About the Course

We created Edge Safety in Search and Rescue simply because the first rule of vertical rescue that was taught to me years ago by an old curmudgeon was “Thou shall not plummet.” On a more serious note, we believe that the rescuer should never add to the problem and some of the practices we’re seeing specifically in the Search and Rescue world are putting people at significant risk of violating that basic rule.

This course offers an awareness view of the current problems we're seeing with edge safety in Search and Rescue as well as possible solutions to consider. However, the real skills and fluidity in an operation come from judgment, gained through experience, of which solution(s) to deploy.

  • What’s the exposure?
  • What are the skill levels of the resources?
  • What gear is available?
  • What will our edge challenges be?


This internal planning debate is constant and repetitive. For those with a tactical or planning background, you might liken this to the SCORPA planning model:

  • Size Up: What’s our problem?
  • Contingencies: What could change or go wrong? (I often phrase as “What’s going to ruin my day?”)
  • Objectives: What are we trying to accomplish?
  • Resources: What personnel, gear, and environment do we have to work with?
  • Plan: How are we going to do this?
  • Action: Do it. Manage it. Measure it. Adapt.

What You'll Learn

Edge Safety for Search and Rescue is broken down into different units all highlighting a unique element of SCORPA and how it relates to edge safety. Inside we'll cover topics such as:

  • Fall prevention

  • Travel restraint systems

  • Work position systems

  • Fall arrest systems (only in theory)

  • And more!

Learn from One of the Best in the Industry

Learn more about Edge Safety in Search and Rescue's expert instructor

  • Craig McClure

    Rigging Lab Academy Instructor | Founder of The Crackerjack Group

    Craig McClure

    Craig is a 14+ year Search and Rescue veteran in the Pacific Northwest and is the founder of The Crackerjack Group. Craig is a founding member and instructor with the International Technical Rescue Association. He’s currently a SAR volunteer for Deschutes County Oregon, rescue member of the MRA accredited mountain rescue team, an EMT, and specializes in technical and backcountry winter disciplines. He holds an AIARE Avalanche level 2 certification and is an expert backcountry skier. Equally comfortable in the field or command, he’s served as the coordinator for the Incident Management team and has participated in approximately 400 missions in his career reaching back to 2004 as a wilderness K9 handler. Craig is a frequent instructor for technical disciplines at SAR conferences, has served as an evaluator for MRA team accreditation, and was the a safety officer and rigger for the first descents into the glacial caves of Mt St Helens. He has led and participated in high alpine glacial rescues, big wall vertical rescues, and complex extraction missions. He enjoys teaching and believes his greatest offering is the ability to guide teams as a whole to improve communication, efficiency, and understanding of well-reasoned default operating guidelines. . Craig serves on the Curriculum Committee of the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association Search and Rescue Advisory Council and is a co-author and instructor of the state SAR Incident Management program. In 2013 he was recognized as the state SAR Volunteer of the Year. He has also served as a sworn Reserve Deputy and in addition to uniformed patrol, worked seasonally as a snowmobile patrol deputy and as a sworn municipal Police Officer and is a graduate of the Oregon Department of Public Safety and Standards Police Academy. He is a certified NRA Range Safety Officer. Craig brings a solid perspective on leadership, objective-based management, and great personal experience as a field operator.

Course Curriculum

Added Perks

Additional features Rigging Lab Academy Members are enjoying

  • Certificate of Completion

    Download your personalized Certificate of Completion after completing the course.

  • 100% Self-Paced

    Go through the course material as fast or as slow as you'd like.

  • Private Discussion Board

    Ask questions, meet other students, and even chat with the course instructor.

What Students Are Saying

  • Good overview of edge working systems

    Craig Waterson

    A nice concise course working through three safety systems in a logical order of complexity and application. As usual, videos are clear and concise. Only com...

    Read More

    A nice concise course working through three safety systems in a logical order of complexity and application. As usual, videos are clear and concise. Only comment would be that video in 4.2 seems to cut off before the presenter has finished explaining use of Work Positioning System in a dual rope configuration. Otherwise a good summary walk through. Thanks!

    Read Less