A person who is healthy both mentally and physically. People who can cooperate with their peers. People who take pleasure in helping others. People who can take leadership. Have a wealth of mountaineering experience.

Their job is to call for climbers' safety and rescue those in distress in order to prevent accidents in the high and steep mountains. In winter, rescue operations are sometimes carried out in the midst of raging snowstorms and avalanche danger. At the scene of a disaster, they are often required to cooperate with civilian rescue teams, mountain lodge personnel, and transportation authorities, requiring good judgment and leadership. In order to be able to respond to all kinds of distress situations, members of the rescue team undergo rigorous training on a daily basis. It is said that it takes at least five to six years to become a full-fledged member of a rescue team. The more demanding the work is in the field, the more grateful they are for the work they do. It is also important to protect public safety in the mountains by publicizing disaster prevention measures to climbers and warning them against unauthorized collection of plants. The fire department has a similar organization called the "mountain rescue team," but it specializes in rescuing people in distress. It does not cover the same kind of work as the Mountain Guard, which is to watch over public safety in the mountains.

To become a mountain guard, one must first pass a police recruitment examination in the prefecture where the mountain guard is located and be hired. After being hired, they study the basics of being a police officer at the police academy. After that, they work at a police box, etc., and only those who have the physical strength and aptitude are selected from among those who wish to join the force, and undergo training in mountain living techniques such as rope tying, as well as training for carrying a person in distress down a mountain on their back. However, since they can join only when there is a vacancy, they are not necessarily assigned immediately.

Many people who experienced mountain climbing and outdoor sports as students and became obsessed with mountains often apply for the police recruitment exam and wish to join the mountain patrol. Others apply for the mountain patrol after becoming police officers and actually seeing the work of the mountain patrol. It is a good idea to acquire mountain-related skills such as mountain climbing and skiing as much as anyone else. However, just liking the mountains and being physically strong is not enough. It is also necessary to have the mental strength to endure hard experiences.

With the recent mountain climbing boom, many people of all ages, from the elderly to elementary school students, have come to enjoy mountain climbing. The number of tourists visiting Japan from abroad to climb mountains is also increasing. However, some people force themselves to climb mountains without sufficient preparation, and the number of people in distress is on the rise. In addition, since Japan has many volcanoes, there are cases of people being caught in volcanic eruptions. Unfortunately, the dispatch of mountain guards is bound to increase in the future. While daily training is of course essential to ensure safe and reliable rescue operations, it will also be necessary to put even more effort into alerting climbers and conducting public relations activities.

The salaries of police officers are higher than those of ordinary civil servants. Taking the Metropolitan Police Department as an example, the starting salary as of January 1, 2022 is 253,300 yen for a Category I employee (college graduate) and 213,900 yen for a Category III employee (high school graduate) (including regional allowances). In addition, an allowance for dependents, a housing allowance, and a commuting allowance are also provided. In addition, mountain guards risk their lives to rescue people and receive special service allowances for their daily training.

Two days off per week. However, because of the shift system, weekends are not always a day off. If there is a person in distress, they may be dispatched on their day off. In the case of a member of the team who works at a police box in the mountains for a long time, he spends his days off down on the plains.

Mountainous area.

It's a chart that shows at a glance the main routes to get a job in the mountain guard!