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msar-riders - Re: [MSAR] Riding alone

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Subject: Mounted search and rescue

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  • From: "irvin lichtenstein" <ilichten1@verizon.net>
  • To: "Mounted search and rescue" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] Riding alone
  • Date: Sat, 04 Mar 2006 17:07:12 -0500

Actually the rule should be three. If one is injured the other two can
evacuate as a joint effort or one can care while the other blazes the trail
out (and back in). I may go on a recreational ride myself, carrying a phone
and a radio, or with non-SAR friends. I always make sure somebody knows I
am out in the park. I have also had an accident on such a ride and while not
injured my mount was stuck in a cold creek for a while and the friend who
went for help had little or no idea where we were. Fortunately the horses
did. Electronics and water don't get along well.

Before we had mounted we started threes with dog handlers. The handlers were
used to working alone and thought adding 2 other people would be a disaster.
The use of 3 (plus dog) increased their efficiency and safety enormously.
First, the SAR person with them had a radio and a map and knew how to use
it. The local knowledge person with them knew the terrain and what was
waiting for them, and often briefed the task on terrain. And between the
two there was a medical skill and a rescue skill the dog handler alone
lacked. When we brought mounted into the field we tried to maintain the 3
concept but realized that resources could limit us to 2. The only time we
have left one person alone remotely is on a comm relay point where 2 or more
vehicles went in, and we left one with a driver/operator behind to watch the
radios and generator. Similarly, we have sent a bus/ boat driver out to pick
up a team at the end of their task, with the limitation that there is no off
road/ main channel driving and the vehicle has a working radio, marked
route, etc. when we would need the right seat for the team coming in and one
seat makes the difference between 1 vehicle or 2 and we may not have the
second available at the same time. On a river job we had 3 and 2 dogs in a
Whaler with a full size fireboat escorting in the main channel. At the end
of the run the firefighter/ operator took the Whaler home at full throttle
while we rode the fire boat home. That way his company could change shifts
in a timely manner, important to paid people.

As with any management decision the conditions at the time must govern. I
once used an ambulance to pick up a team in the field because it was the
closest enclosed vehicle. It belonged to the evac team for subject care and
not search. We didn't have the subject yet and the field people needed a
warm ride back. We did clean the rig for them (field team was really wet and
muddy). Piling 6 in the back was risky, but safer than riding in the bed of
a pickup.


Irv Lichtenstein



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