NCRC Small Party Assisted Rescue (SPAR) Course, Menlo, GA, Oct 18 – 21, 2025

This NCRC Small Party Assisted Rescue (SPAR) seminar is an intensive four-day introduction to cave rescue techniques that a party of six or fewer people can perform, using minimal gear that can be carried on caving trips. Topics covered in the class include preventing and preparing for common caving-related problems, basic medical skills, moving patients through obstacles, helping people who are stuck on rope, and building and operating haul and lower systems.

The seminar provides approximately 40 hours of instruction over four days. The classes are physically strenuous and participants must be in good health. Students should be prepared to work in difficult situations, both above and below ground.

Students will need to study some material in advance so that the sessions reinforce and build on on existing information. Students will practice skills in a rope gym setting, and then will build on those skills at cliff and cave sites. The course will be demanding, with long days and evenings, but will provide participants with valuable skills that they can use to help themselves and others when they are needed most.

For safety and class efficiency, students should already be competent and comfortable with knot-tying and vertical-caving skills. Before taking the course, all students must successfully demonstrate the knot-tying and single-rope-technique (SRT) skills described in the SPAR student preparation guide.

We encourage students to contact an NCRC instructor to complete their skills demonstration prior to the class. For any students who are unable to complete this in advance, we will hold a skills demonstration session at the course site on Friday evening, October 17th.

Students should plan to arrive and check in Friday evening, October 17 (Day 0), from 5 – 9 p.m. Course sessions on Days 1 through 4 will start promptly at 8:00 a.m. We will continue after dinner until about 9:30 p.m on Days 1 through 3m and will conclude around 6:00 p.m on Day 4. The schedule is subject to change at the discretion of the instructors.

Students should come prepared each day with food, water, and appropriate gear and clothing for classroom, rope gym, and cliff or cave activities.

The 160-acre Little River property, located at 2477 Old State Rd in Menlo, GA, will be our base camp. This will be our location for camping with showers, group meals, and classroom and rope-gym sessions.

The course fee covers meals from dinner the first evening (Day 0) through lunch on Day 4. We will do our best to accommodate dietary preferences and restrictions shared at pre-registration, but please remember you are ultimately responsible for your own health.

This course will include field exercises at cliffs and caves in northwest Georgia and southeastern Tennessee. Daytime highs in October are likely to be in the 60s to 70s, with nighttime lows typically in the mid 40s. Cave temperatures are likely to be about 54 °F.

Come prepared for the possibility of rain during field exercises: we will continue during rainfall events unless there is a significant threat of lightning or the "misery curve" crosses above the "learning curve".

Student initiated cancellations will incur the following fees:
 Before Sep 1 - $25.00.
 Sep 1 - Sep 30 - 25% of course fee.
 After Sep 30 - no refund.

All gear must be clean and in good condition. Synthetic-based life-safety gear (e.g., helmets, harnesses, cordage, etc.) must be less than 10 years from date of manufacture.

1. HELMET. Caving or climbing helmet, UIAA or CE approved, with a 3 or 4-point non-elastic chinstrap.
2. HEADLAMPS. Three, must be electric.
3. SEAT HARNESS. Commercially sewn.
4. ASCENDING SYSTEM.
- Two mechanical ascenders, connected to the seat harness either directly or with a cowstail (also called a tether or lanyard);
- A second cowstail connected to the seat harness, with a locking carabiner on the free end;
- Cowstails may be a commercial product designed for this use, or tied with dynamic rope of at least 9mm diameter.
- Locking carabiners are required on all cowstails that may be used to make a life-safety connection.
5. DESCENDER. Rack (standard, micro-rack w/ hyperbar, or Scarab), bobbin with friction device, or static-cam device (e.g. Petzl I’D or Rig, Skylotec Sirius or Spark).
6. RUGGED CLOTHING. Synthetic, wicking, and insulating.
7. GLOVES. Leather or sturdy synthetic gloves.
8. BOOTS. Sturdy, lug-soled boots with good support.
9. FOOD. Quick energy, ready to eat snacks.
10. WATER. 2 liters capacity recommended (enough to stay hydrated for a full day of field work).
11. SMALL PACK. Rugged enough for the cave environment.
12. TWO CARABINERS. Two extra locking carabiners that are not part of your SRT gear.
13. WEBBING (1”) or ACCESSORY CORD (7+ mm). 15+ feet long, at least 10 kN minimum breaking strength (MBS).
14. RESCUE GEAR (optional). Any pulleys, Prusiks, or small rescue gear (e.g. Petzl Micro Traxion, Tibloc, Rollclip) that you normally carry in your cave pack.
15. CAMP CHAIR (optional, but recommended for classroom and rope-gym sessions).

We will be following local and state recommendations. At this time, masks are optional, and we fully support anyone who chooses to wear one.

If you suspect you may have Covid and/or show Covid-like symptoms, or if you have a communicable disease such as flu or RSV and may be contagious, please be respectful of your fellow course participants and do not attend the course (we will waive any cancellation fee).

The fungus responsible for causing WNS in bats has been detected for several years in caves in the counties in which the seminar will be held, so all caves visited during the seminar should be considered WNS-contaminated. Decontamination is not required before or during the seminar, but we recommend that attendees clean and disinfect their gear after the seminar, according to the latest protocols: https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/topics/decontamination.

The National Cave Rescue Commission is a commission of the National Speleological Society (NSS). It serves as NSS’s representative on issues of cave rescue training and operations. By design, NCRC is not an operating cave rescue team. Rather, its mission is to provide training and development opportunities for persons and organizations engaged in cave rescue activities.

For questions regarding gear, prerequisites, or seminar material, contact Ron Miller.

For questions regarding registration or course logistics, contact Cathy Borer.