Members of the mountain rescue service are very often on their own when deployed in the mountains, and therefore have to make decisions quickly which cannot easily be made by the head of operations back in the valley.

Mountain rescue workers have to be able to think ahead, and to be able to deal with many situations. Therefore, a solid basic education and continuous further training is essential for rescue workers.

The Provincial Association of the South Tyrol Alpine Association mountain rescue service provides basic training for candidates in cooperation with the 35 rescue stations.

The training to become a fully trained mountain rescue member takes two years. A comprehensive program must be completed in order to sit the candidate examination.

The total duration of basic training is 20 days and includes:
1. The foundation of all courses is the completion of the 6-day basic emergency medical course, after written admission to the Provincial Association.
2. For admission to the summer test (1 day) or winter test (1 day), the previously issued tour report must be evaluated positively by the Provincial Association.
3. If the summer test is successful, you can then attend the basic rock course (4 days) and the basic ice course (2 days).
4. After successful completion of the winter test, the 4-day winter basic course can be attended.
5. All of these courses are prerequisites for attendance of the one-day helicopter course.
6. After a period of at least two years, candidate examinations can then begin. These need to be completed within 5 years.

After passing the exams, the mountain rescue worker can take part in various specialized and further training courses.