1.1 This guide establishes the minimum training, including general and field knowledge, skills, and abilities, for search and rescue personnel who conduct operations in mountainous terrain.

1.2 A Mountain Endorsement is intended only for those individuals capable of operating in the difficult conditions found in mountainous terrain, at altitudes that may have a negative impact on human physiology.

1.3 Specifically, Mountain Endorsed individuals may, under qualified supervision, perform their normal duties safely and effectively in mountainous terrain.

1.4 A Mountain Endorsement alone is not sufficient to indicate that an individual has the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities to perform any specific duties, including search and rescue operations, other than those defined within this guide.

1.5 This guide alone does not provide the minimum training requirements for performing operations in partially or fully collapsed structures, in- or on-water, in confined spaces, underground (such as in caves, mines, and tunnels), or in an alpine environment.

1.6 Type I-IV teams (as defined in F1993) which may utilize personnel trained to this guide are Kind A (wilderness), Kind B (urban), and Kind C (mountainous), Kind D (disaster/collapse), Kind E (inland water), Kind G (cave), Kind H (mine), Kind I (avalanche), Kind J (evidence/cadaver), Kind K (aircraft), and/or Kind L (unclassified).

1.7 Mountain Endorsed SAR personnel must work under qualified supervision, as deemed appropriate by the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).

1.8 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.