Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

msar-riders - Re: [MSAR] Night searches

msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Mounted search and rescue

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Jorene Downs" <Jorene@CEOates.com>
  • To: "Mounted search and rescue" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] Night searches
  • Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2003 12:50:00 -0700

>From: Julie Hammond <hammond4h@yahoo.com>
> >As a rural city it is too dangerous for our teams as we sometimes must
cross busy streets and the cars have no repect to slow down and many times
are driving faster than the speed limit. Instead, they honk because you are
in their way crossing the street to the area in which the law enforcement
wishes you to search. <<

In many areas there still laws ... which may/may not be enforced ... that
give the right of way to equestrians and horse-drawn vehicles. But for
safety if local law enforcement isn't protecting the searchers with some
traffic control, it makes sense to not be in a position where you are
vulnerable to traffic. High visibility night gear and personnel positioned
to stop traffic going both directions would provide a safe road crossing.
But in your environment, if you're not set up with real visible night gear,
or if traffic is too busy and fast, I'd also want the mounted teams back in
by dark for your own safety.

Traffic tends to slow down a bit more when they are aware the pedestrians /
riders are SAR personnel, but that isn't easy to accomplish at night. Even
if well lit up, the "SAR" part isn't always obvious. But lighting at least
makes you more visible in traffic after dark. I've seen a variety of gear
that is either designed for lighting up a horse and rider at night or
modified for that purpose. Much of the night jogging or biking gear can
convert across for road night riding. What kinds of night gear for
visibility in traffic areas are other people familiar with?

> >Even when we were on a search for drowned victims in a lake the search
was called off at dark. <<

Typically drowning searches are controlled by availability of light. Shore
searchers at a possible drowning should be checking the bank, water surface
and areas above the water line, and trying to see a body trapped under the
water. Good lighting is necessary to see into water. Unless some large and
powerful portable lighting is available a water search would be called as th
e sun goes down ... unless there is good hope the subject is still alive and
the shore / above waterline areas where the person might have made it hasn't
been covered by the search yet.

> >What applies to one S&R group may not for another.

Very true! Many of our rural community searches are performed only on foot
unless the search area is expanded into the surrounding open agricultural
areas where MSAR can be effective. Too often the MP is potentially
non-responsive (Alzheimer's, scared child) and in the residential areas the
mounted searcher would be dismounting on a regular basis to search a
multitude of areas otherwise not visible from the saddle. Every search and
search area has its own dynamics that need to be addressed by SAR management
and the local search teams.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Jorene Downs
Tulare Co, CA
SAR, MSAR, Swiftwater Rescue, US&R,
Hasty Team, ICP
www.CEOates.com/sar






Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page