Local SAR units meet once or twice a month to train. These days may last anywhere from a few hours to a full weekend. Most members will train on their own in all kinds of weather. This could mean training in map and compass, survival, first aid, or radio use and communications. Handling a dog could add as much as 20 hours per week to a normal training schedule.
Some searches turn into body recoveries.
Some searches end with no one found. All members of SAR are volunteers. That means all costs of participation from travelling expenses to equipment are absorbed by the individual not the organization. On average, a person educated in survival and backcountry skills has the highest success rate in becoming a SAR dog handler. This is because less time is used educating the handler and that leaves more time dedicated to dog handling.