By FMESA President and CSLEA Director BJ Jones
NEVADA COUNTY — Recently, an avalanche in Nevada County claimed the lives of nine skiers. In the midst of this tragedy, six individuals were rescued within hours of the incident. While the loss of life is deeply saddening, the response to this event powerfully demonstrates the value of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) Law Enforcement Branch (LEB) and the California Specialized Training Institute (CSTI) in preparing law enforcement agencies and Search and Rescue (SAR) teams across the state.
Cal OES Law Enforcement Branch Assistant Chiefs deliver essential training courses throughout California, providing critical operational skills to agencies and SAR volunteers who respond to emergencies in some of the most dangerous and unpredictable environments. These courses are California POST-certified as Plan IV courses, meaning POST covers student travel, per diem, and tuition. Cal OES LEB does not charge tuition, and eligible agency attendees are reimbursed by POST when criteria are met.
Courses taught by Cal OES Law Enforcement Branch personnel include:
• Search Function, Direction and Control – 40 hours
• Search Function, Direction and Control – Advanced – 32 hours
• Search Function, Direction and Control – Winter Operations – 40 hours
Just last month, Cal OES Law Enforcement Branch conducted the Winter Operations course in Mammoth. Many of the searchers and command staff operating within the Incident Command Post during the recent Truckee-area avalanche had recently completed that training.
Only weeks prior to the incident, Cal OES Public Information Officers highlighted the Winter SAR class on social media, emphasizing the importance of preparing responders for high-risk, low-frequency events. The Nevada County avalanche response is a real-world example of that preparation in action.
INSIDE LOOK: Winter Search and Rescue Training and Winter Survival Tips
Although the outcome of the incident was heartbreaking, Cal OES Law Enforcement Branch-trained personnel were on the ground coordinating responding resources, including California National Guard assets. Their performance reflects the direct impact of the partnership between the OES Law Enforcement Branch and CSTI in strengthening the capabilities of SAR volunteers and law enforcement agencies across California.
FMESA Budget Unit 7 members serve as trainers and educators who work tirelessly to ensure participants leave each course better prepared, better equipped, and better positioned to perform when called upon. The skills developed in these programs are not theoretical, they are applied in real-world, life-and-death situations.
The residents of California directly benefit from this continued investment in preparedness and professional development. Incidents such as this underscore the critical importance of sustaining and prioritizing these training programs statewide.
