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Subject: Mounted search and rescue

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  • From: Una Smith <una.smith@att.net>
  • To: Mounted search and rescue <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [MSAR] Struggling in New Mexico
  • Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 08:50:08 -0600

Susan Nestor wrote:
>[...] we are a struggling mounted team in New Mexico.

Hi Susan. I am sorry you are struggling. How have things gone
since I saw you last at MSARCO in June? How many riders do you
have mission-ready now? Is it just you and SW? I gave SM some
photos I took of you all at MSARCO.

As I understand it Jorene's talk, like mine at ESCAPE 2003, is
addressed to SAR management, which means it explores what a well
trained, experienced mounted SAR team is capable of doing on a
SAR mission. But I suspect your situation calls for a different
approach. Your new MSAR team is part of an established, strong
SAR unit that includes groundpounders, medical, and technical
rescue folks. I think your task is not to educate the rest of
your unit about what your team *might* be able to do, but rather
to show what you *are* able to do. You have a huge advantage,
in belonging to an established unit; you could respond on foot
and operate as part of the unit, to establish your SAR skills
on the ground, and during post-mission lessons-learned sessions
you could point out where and how it might have been helpful to
be on horseback (but see below).

I do not know all your local Field Coordinators, but I do know
many FCs in northern New Mexico and I can tell you many of them
have major reservations about calling those MSAR responders who
never turn out for SAR training unless it is on horseback. So
don't be one of those I-just-wanna-ride-my-horsie types!


>[...] our board? They don't know when to call us, when to use
>us, etc.

The board here being Taos SAR's own management, right? Susan,
in New Mexico any request for a mounted SAR team originates from
the Incident Commander (IC) or (big mission) Logistics Section
Chief assigned to a given SAR mission. Your board's involvement
here is in deciding whether to list a "horse team" among its
resources on the First Call form for Taos SAR. Have they listed
you? If not, getting listed should be your immediate goal; you
won't get called to respond as an MSAR team until that happens.

Looking forward to seeing you at future trainings,

Una

Una Smith
Santa Fe County Sheriff's Posse, New Mexico




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