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msar-riders - Re: [MSAR] NASAR MSAR standards

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Subject: Mounted search and rescue

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  • From: <Jorene@CEOates.com>
  • To: "Mounted search and rescue" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] NASAR MSAR standards
  • Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2003 14:30:39 -0700

From: "Una Smith" <una@lanl.gov>
> Care to give us a progress report?

The NASAR MSAR Standards Committee is referring to various existing MSAR
standards and finding many common elements in those standards. We currently
have well qualified committee members from various parts of the country, and
plan to acquire input from various "expert" sources on specific topics, as
well as general input from MSAR riders around the world using Opinion Polls
on http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/NASAR-MSAR I'll be particularly
interested in seeing input from MSAR outside the USA since the back of my
mind reminds me to try and create MSAR standards that will be applicable
globally.

I also plan to collaborate with other committee chairs who have MSAR
standards in progress to try and avoid any obvious conflicts between NASAR
and state standards. If anyone is aware of state / large region MSAR
standards in progress, please connect me with the Chair of that committee.
(For example, CA is just firing up an MSAR committee to develop state
guidelines and through official channels I have requested contact with the
committee chair.)

A general idea of where we are now ...
The rider should be SAR trained ... with additional training and equipment
for horse-rider MSAR response. Since we're writing this for NASAR, riders
will be expected to have NASAR SARTECH certification to qualify for NASAR
MSAR certification. States / Organizations who don't have SARTECH
training/certification readily available could choose to refer to NASAR
ground searcher standards (SARTECH standards on www.nasar.org ) and come up
with an equivalent training standard for local application, then adopt an
"equivalent to" NASAR MSAR standards for local application.

The current plan (lots of issues still subject to change!) is to create a
core MSAR standard that is generic to all terrain, environments, etc. There
will likely be 3 levels of the core standard, including an entry level. This
will provide a fundamental standard that we can build off to create more
specialized "if you need them" standards as modules.

For example, the core standards would provide basics for fairly close
wilderness response, but anyone with a large wilderness response area would
likely add Wilderness MSAR to their local requirements for those who respond
deeper into the backcountry. (Since not everyone has wilderness response, it
doesn't make sense to include the requirements in the core standards.
However, all MSAR should be prepared for an emergency overnight in the
field.)

Some of the specialty modules we plan to address are: Wilderness MSAR, MSAR
Packing, Urban MSAR (more mounted police-type training), and Mounted USAR
(disaster response - Urban SAR / CERT training).

At the moment we're addressing the core standard practical / performance
requirements while mounted and dismounted. Some of the core training and
gear requirements will be specific to MSAR night response.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Jorene Downs, Committee Chair
NASAR MSAR Standards Committee

AKA
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Jorene Downs
Tulare Co, CA
SAR, MSAR, Swiftwater Rescue, US&R,
Technical Rescue, Cave Rescue,
Hasty Team, ICP
www.CEOates.com/sar
Tulare-Kings CERT Program Coordinator
www.tk-cert.org





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