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msar-riders - Re: [MSAR] Response time of MSAR teams

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Subject: Mounted search and rescue

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  • From: "Jorene Downs" <Jorene@CEOates.com>
  • To: <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] Response time of MSAR teams
  • Date: Mon Dec 9 15:50:00 2002

From: "Una Smith" <una@lanl.gov>
> New Mexico uses the Incident Command System (ICS) for SAR. We
> have asked some local Area Commanders to give us a heads-up
> call the night before, if possible, so we have time to prepare
> for a possible call-out first thing in the morning.

I suspect many SAR personnel would be happier if they had more advance
notice. ;-/ We have turnover of SAR command at the Sheriff's Dept every few
years and go through the routine [again] of asking for a Standby call that
notifies all personnel when there is a Hasty Team call-out, followed by
either a "we need [X] SAR personnel" identifying the types of resources or a
Stand-down call. A general awareness is also required that it takes longer
for MSAR to respond simply because there is more to be done before
responding and the terrain may notably slow the vehicle hauling a trailer.

Locally personnel will likely get a call-out the night before to show up by
dawn, with potential to get called for Stand-down if the Hasty Team is
successful. Since our wilderness response may take a few hours just in
driving time - longer if you're hauling horses - it doesn't take a rocket
scientist to figure out that you can't have a call-out at 5 AM for 6 AM
arrival if it takes 4 hours to get there. ;)

Which leads to wondering what you might find when you arrive. A comment I
hear at essentially every SAR conference I attend (about 3 every year) is
the need to better educate local law enforcement so the officers who
initially respond have a better understanding of what SAR management and
field personnel need, and an awareness that SAR (with appropriate training)
can respond to more than just a missing person search. And a major groan
from all trained trackers is how the first responders make an assumption
that there aren't any tracks to be found and fail to protect the scene. Same
groan comes from search dog handlers. A contaminated PLS (Point Last Seen)
apparently isn't an unusual problem, and training for SAR personnel as well
as first responders on this topic seems to be inconsistent in emphasis.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Jorene Downs
Tulare County, CA
SAR, MSAR, Swiftwater Rescue, US&R






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