Mounted search and rescue

["Jorene Downs" <Jorene@CEOates.com>]

Very good info from Paul and Jeff on the night search.

Hypothermia is the #1 killer of outdoor enthusiasts, and can strike even at
70 degrees, so obviously the fast find is greatly preferred. Odds are
increased at night that you'll need the medical skills and gear to stabilize
someone with hypothermia.

Search Management should be providing the necessary instructions in the
briefing prior to sending out search personnel, but the better the searcher
understands the MP's likely behavior, and the plans and strategy for that
particular search, the more effective the searcher will be. Understanding
the more common Lost Person Behavior can be critical in the field, because
noting unexpected behavior can be a crucial clue.

I was a guest speaker on Wilderness Survival recently at a 4-H camp. One
point I made was when lost you need to forget that rule about not talking to
strangers. Younger kids and Alzheimer's subjects tend to be non-responsive
to the searcher, and may even hide. The "Look" part of the search is even
more critical for the searcher to remember, and at night powerful
flashlights are a must.

One other important issue to remember is that 62% of lost people will
convince themselves there is a good reason to leave the trail - looking for
higher ground to see better, thinking they should head in direction X to
find camp, or whatever. At night it may be more difficult to see where
someone has left the trail. The concept of Stay Put! is not prevalent -
people tend to think they can save themselves or are guided by panic - which
often means a moving MP. Luckily, most will stop moving at night. But the
route they took during daylight hours may be rather unexpected - they may
have even inadvertently circled the camp and the initial departure direction
from the PLS becomes misleading.

A disadvantage with MSAR is the destruction of tracks and contaminated clues
as the horse walks along the trail. Tracking from the saddle is possible
with the right training and lighting - skill sets MSAR riders should learn,
along with knowing when to dismount to check the tracks. (Instructors for
MSAR tracking are available.) Particularly when there is greatly reduced
visibility, it is increasingly critical to have search dogs and man trackers
as your point people.  Your horse will likely know about the location of
that MP before you do, particularly at night. Consider the value of training
the horse for air scenting.    http://www.airscentinghorse.com

If an MSAR team has potential to be called for night search, night training
is important. If nothing else, some horses aren't particularly comfortable
in unfamiliar terrain at night, and should also become accustomed to the
rider waving a flashlight around. Riders should also practice search
techniques at night, in different terrain and different phases of the moon.
Some riders recommend attaching a chemical light stick to the horse's breast
collar during a night search to provide nominal immediate area lighting that
can be supplemented with a flashlight.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Jorene Downs
Tulare Co, CA
SAR, MSAR, Swiftwater Rescue, US&R,
Hasty Team, ICP
www.CEOates.com/sar