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msar-riders - Re: [MSAR] Home Land Security

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Subject: Mounted search and rescue

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Jorene Downs" <Jorene@CEOates.com>
  • To: "Mounted search and rescue" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] Home Land Security
  • Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 16:58:23 -0800

Title: Message
 
----- Original Message -----
From: Ian Vowles
Jorene wrote
 
snip
  " Are any team members trained higher than basic First Aid? Wouldn't it be nice if the SAR/MSAR EMT wasn't assigned to traffic control during a disaster with multiple injured overwhelming local medical resources? "
 
Not sure what happens in California but in my experience either training or real life ~~ our EMT's no matter what other groups they belong to  immediately offer their EMT skills in a potential MCI - never heard of EMT's doing traffic duty whilst subjects needed help !!!! 
Wouldn't it be advantageous for Emergency Management to be previously aware that there are  EMTs in local SAR that can be tapped for an additional medical resource? Otherwise SAR might be called with the expectation from disaster management to assign X people for traffic control. The SAR team shows up and advises "We have EMTs." So now the EMTs are re-deployed to a medical area (an unnecesary delay) and disaster management needs to look for another resource for traffic control.
 
If SAR Management was already included in Emergency Management planning, and a knowledgeable SAR Liaison was assigned at the Emergency Operations Center,
Another issue; CERT ~
 
snip 
 " What is the local potential during a SAR for finding the subject somehow trapped? (Just inside a mine, landslide, old structure collapsed, etc.) Does the SAR / MSAR team have training to safely extract that person? Basic CERT training would provide those skills.  "
 
It seems the CERT program is providing much more in training and certification than I was previously aware - I am VERY concerned that programs which provide minimal education at best are suggested to be a qualification for "lay" people ( which is what CERT is ) to attempt rescues that may be beyond their capabilities or equipment - collapsed structures are not the places for amateurs to be playing .!  Ditto mines or landslides - YES CERT will give them a basic understanding of safety issues but lets keep it in perspective .
Part of the training is to know when it isn't safe to proceed with the skill sets and equipment available. How many SAR people have this knowledge, to even be able to reasonably evaluate the situation? In some instances, the basic CERT training is sufficient to perform the rescue. This has been demonstrated by existing CERT teams.
My understanding - and I am willing to be corrected - is CERT is a 20 hour course to educate citizens how to assist in the event of a disaster in their locale - urban/suburban  , it is a tiny course in comparison to training SAR volunteers undertake and study no matter where they practice, the implication that emergency management will require CERT qualification  before considering a SAR team is I think ridiculous !
You must have misunderstood. I'm suggesting that combining the basic CERT training and skills with SAR would be extremely advantageous. Having the combined urban and more rural skills would make that person a more valuable asset, both in SAR and disasters. This is why in CA there is already an existing recommendation at the State SAR level to encourage cross-training in CERT, or even Light USAR. Since the combination is obviously recognized as valuable, an obvious source for recruiting for SAR is in the CERT graduates because they would already have that portion of training.
 
 
I am all in favor of CERT but not the way Jorene wishes to imply their superior skills over SAR teams - I beg to differ.
I'm not implying that CERT training is superior to SAR - the skills are different, addressing different needs. I'm stating that SAR personnel who also have CERT training would be more versatile and effective than just SAR training. The same could be said of adding any skill set to SAR.
Now your CERT qualified person directing traffic to free up the EMT - that would make sense :-)
Absolutely! But keep in mind there are incidents - typically more urban - where the generic CERT-trained person would have an advantage over the generic SAR-trained person. That would only be due to a different focus in training.
 
Ian Vowles
Colorado Mounted Rescue
 
SARTECH II, III , Evaluator,
Licensed Instructor ISAR FUNSAR, Examiner/Coordinator SARTECH II + III.
First Responder / Wilderness First Aid
Wildland Firefighter qualified - not active !
Fema ICS qualified etc.
Colorado Mounted Ranger. 
You obviously see the value in cross-training to increase versatility - all I'm suggesting is that SAR do some basic cross-training. ;)
 
 



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