ITRS
About ITRS
John Dill of Yosemite Search and Rescue originally conceived of the idea for a symposium dedicated exclusively to technical rescue, where ideas, practices and experiences could be shared in the spirit of advancing rescue methodology.

To bring this idea to fruition, an organization was sought to sponsor the symposium and back it financially. At the time, Steve Hudson of Pigeon Mountain Industries was a member of the NASAR Board of Directors and was instrumental in NASAR (National Association for Search And Rescue) becoming the first sponsor of NATRS (North American Technical Rescue Symposium).

In 1998, NASAR opted to discontinue its sponsorship of NATRS. Steve Hudson then contacted Jim Frank, founder of CMC Rescue, and suggested that PMI and CMC Rescue become sponsors, to which both parties agreed. The name of the symposium was changed to the International Technical Rescue Symposium (ITRS) and was held in Fort Collins, Colorado in 1999.

Today, ITRS is proudly co-hosted by CMC and PMI. The annual symposium is open to anyone who registers – up to 150 presenters/attendees. Those who attend represent a broad spectrum of the technical rescue community including fire, mountain, cave, urban, industrial and swiftwater rescue. Presenters share their own research, testing, and field experience for the benefit of all to consider and apply, and the symposium size provides an ideal setting for active discussion and learning.
Best Presentations
ITRS / NATRS History
1
1985 NATRS
Fort Collins, CO –1st NATRS symposium
2
1986 NATRS
Fort Collins, CO
3
1987 NATRS
Fort Collins, CO
4
1988 NATRS
Fort Collins, CO
5
1989 NATRS
Portland, OR
6
1990 NATRS
Salt Lake City, UT
7
1991 NATRS­
Albuquerque, NM
8
1992 NATRS
Estes Park, CO
9
1993 NATRS
Snowbird, UT
10
1994 NATRS
Phoenix, AZ
11
1995 NATRS
Kelowna, BC
12
1996 NATRS
Las Vegas, NV
13
1997 NATRS
Long Beach, CA
14
1998 NATRS
Charlotte, NC
15
1999 ITRS
Fort Collins, CO – 1st ITRS symposium
16
2000 ITRS
Tucson, AZ
17
2001 ITRS
Denver, CO
18
2002 ITRS
Denver, CO
19
2003 ITRS
Salt Lake City, UT
20
2004 ITRS
Albuquerque, NM
21
2005 ITRS
Fort Collins, CO
22
2006 ITRS
Denver, CO
23
2007 ITRS
Denver, CO
24
2008 ITRS
Albuquerque, NM
25
2009 ITRS
Pueblo, CO
26
2010 ITRS
– Denver, CO – Steve Hudson rec'd "Lifetime Contribution Award"
27
2011 ITRS
Fort Collins, CO
28
2012 ITRS
– Seattle, WA – John Dill & Tom Vines rec'd "Lifetime Contribution Award"
29
2013 ITRS
Albuquerque, NM
30
2014 ITRS
Denver, CO
31
2015 ITRS
Portland, OR – Jim Frank rec'd "Lifetime Contribution Award"
32
2016 ITRS
Albuquerque, NM – John McKently & Loui McCurley rec'd "Lifetime Contribution Award"
33
2017 ITRS
Denver, CO (scheduled)