The State of Washington utilizes a program known as the Emergency Worker Program (WAC 118-04) to protect volunteers during Search and Rescue (SAR) activities. This program is administered by your local Emergency Management entity and provides coverage for personal injury and damaged property to the volunteer. To be covered, a volunteer must be registered as an emergency worker with a county within Washington State. The preference is to have people registered prior to an incident (this ensures all paperwork is in place, including a background check). When specialized personnel are needed, which are not already registered, provisions can be made to register them at the scene. While this is possible, every attempt will be made to use volunteers which are already registered.
