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  • From: sleininger@myfrontiermail.com
  • To: Mounted search and rescue <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] Search for Lauren Spierer
  • Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2011 00:11:40 +0000 (UTC)

Ohio is working on a law like that. I hope they get one soon. It sure will
cut down on the mayhem.

Sherrel


----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike & Robin" <mikerobin@colton.com>
To: "Mounted search and rescue" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>, "Mounted
search and rescue in Illinois USA." <msar-il@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Saturday, June 18, 2011 7:56:22 PM
Subject: Re: [MSAR] Search for Lauren Spierer



Oregon law vests SAR mission responsibility to the Sheriff of the county that
the mission is in. Further,NO ONE participates in a search unless they are
state certified!
This eliminates people running amuck.  Liability issues are also covered
under state law. 
 
Mike Hattan,  SAR Coordinator
Clackamas County Sheriff's Posse
(Posse is an all volunteer unit)


----- Original Message -----
From: Karen Nesbitt
To: MSAR ; Mounted search and rescue in Illinois USA.
Sent: Saturday, June 18, 2011 2:45 PM
Subject: Re: [MSAR] Search for Lauren Spierer



Message: 1
Date: Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:17:36 -0700 (PDT)
From: Yvette Rollins < hoosierhorsemen@yahoo.com >
Subject: [MSAR] Search for Lauren Spierer
To: Mounted search and rescue < msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org >
Message-ID: < 119728.127.qm@web125505.mail.ne1.yahoo.com >
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Hello All,
?
We have been searching in the Bloomington area for Lauren Spierer, missing IU
student. So far not successful. We have another search scheduled for
tomorrow. Saturday morning June 18th.
?
Question: We have a lot of horseback riders joining in the search that have
no experience. What is the best advice you can give me for preparing these
people for the search. We had a search on Tuesday and fortunately only 19
riders showed up and it was easy to work in teams but we had one team that
went off like they were going to the races. I tried to emphasis caution and
care for the horses as well as the riders and preserving the scene but I do
think in their excitement that did not happen.

Yvette


?Tread Lightly upon the Land and Leave No Trace!?
 (... balast of message truncated for space..)
-------------->
 
Yvette,
 
Were not the volunteers instructed and given assignments?  You were lucky to
have the manpower and horsepower, but if they were not given some initial
instruction at the gate which I find hard to beleive... then yes perhaps they
were acting upon impulse and adrenaline, hard to say form the
information..but rejoice that you had them.  
 
Whatever the case, if their names were received, which they should have been
at the gate, perhaps before passing judgement, take the time to invite those
people to come to formal training.  You cannot prepare them for the past
search, only guide them to a future one.   Im guessing some might be
interested and others will not be interested at all. 
If you want people more formally trained you have to solicite to them without
turning them off. 
 
When you volunteer you are putting yourself out, your equipment, you are
giving an extra hand, you are literally taking money out of your own pocket
and time.  You may or may not know exactly what is expected.. if you dont,
you should ask and then proceed.  Coming to a search is not a ride in the
park event. Common sense would tell that.   It is with purpose and not to say
you were there.  Volunteering to help is just that, you need to ask as to
what needs to be done then act accordingly.   Where some of those horse noses
might not have been experienced, they surely could have had some purpose. 
And surely no horse should have been left idle. 
 
It works both ways as sometimes the "pros" do not know exactly what to do
first and getting organized quickly is paramount, and often difficult at best 
and quickly learning who is able for what is part of the responsibility of
the leaders of the teams so if the volunteers did not act according to how
perhaps the leadership wanted.. there seems to me to be then a failure to
communicate.  Just my 2c.  What could have prevented that?  Hello, leaders..
your turn!  You need to break the barrier of communication and get with it
too.  Even the leaders assume that anyone with a horse might have experience
or they might not.
 
The other thing is, is volunteers are reactors, they are not responders. They
do not have the same mentality as a pro, but may be skilled none the less and
you dont know unless you ask.  They do not get paid for their work, they do
not expect anything in return not even a pat on the back.  I think you were
very lucky to have that many hands.  I would never underestimate the power of
any volunteer even if they showed up  in short shorts and riding bareback. 
Anyone willing to volunteer to jump into poision ivy or maybe a lake riding
that way is either crazy or willing to go above and beyond to save someones
six.  My guess is the later.. so what seems silly might not be. So never
underestimate the power of your voulunteers. Where paid MSAR listen to
protocol, the volunteers however skilled or unskilled are valuable people. 
That extra hand you have in them just might save your six.  Its up to the
team(s) to work so as not to get in each others way and to work together. 
Coming to something where you do not know people and getting something laid
upon you that you might not know how to can get to be an experience, but
extra eyes and ears, noses and such looking for socks in bushes is a good
thing to have.  Been there and done it.
 
Getting foreign animals to team up quickly, getting the ones that might not
be compatible to ride side by side  etc quickly sorted and positioned will be
learned  only through acting to see who can ride near each other.. while I
would trust the mounts not to kick, you never know so if yours is not wanting
to ride near the others.. space it. You still have a rider up and two extra
eyes and ears etc coverign territory tha tmight not otherwise get covered so
USE it. 
 
You also cannot expect these people to be trianed to your protocol if you are
the leaders. But I would question, is it far better to have more than less? 
Maturity of those riders.. would make a difference.... Obvioulsy you could
weed the younger folks to other tasks but I would not underestimate  even the
skills in those riders.  Their bones are young!
 
Question now, is this seach still a search mode or is it leaning more towards
a recovery?  Some horses are more adept to searching a live subject vs the
latter even on a volunteer basis and even the basic trail riders horse can
discern decomp.  Question is - does the rider know it and know his mounts
reaction... knowing your horse had how it reacts to decomp is a plus
especially in searches that have lingered for days with no results.
 
Could it be you are also tagging volunteers as amatuers?  Just because they
are volunteers do not make all of them ametuers.  Sometiems the difference
between an amatuer and a pro is simply  the fact that one is paid.  You also 
cannot lump 19 or whatever the number of volunteers into the same bag when
each rider is aobviously of a different skill.
 
I think you were really lucky to have that many hands when in the past,
getting half that skilled or not was an issue!
 
If you want to convert some of those volunteers to more formal training, you
cannot turn them off or you will get no one.  If you dont want people to
volunteer, then do not make it an open call out.
 
One thing it is evident, the pros are always concerned on insurance...    the
more I read on this the more we start hearing no one jumped in a lake to save
anyone.. so folks, guess its the call of the times.  Doing the humanitary
thing either voluntary or is it coming too a point where the hireds are not
going to do the job?   Its becoming apparent that in some cases only  the
budget and mindset will tell for sure.
 
Hope your search ends well and she is found.  In this heat you have your work
cut out and I woudl say quickly.
 
Sorry to ramble on here.. but these are the pros and cons we see and just
some points to ponder..
 
We would join this search, but do not have a mount prepared far enough along
and common sense says she does not have enough saddle time.
 
          Karen Nesbitt - VMSAR - Iroquois County - Illinois.





 
                                           
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