Mounted search and rescue

[<Jorene@CEOates.com>]

From: "Jeff Ezell" <eztech@pdq.net>
> The bottom line is that our customers (the missing person) deserves the
best
> resource that can be available, balanced with the time, expense & effort
it
> takes to deliver the resource in a timely manner.
>
> Volunteers reading these words are all making big contributions toward the
> opportunity to help out when needed. Unfairly to the potential victim and
> their families, there are many obstacles to overcome to provide these
> resources in their time of need. The public doesn't think there is a need
> until it "happens to their family"!
>
> Maybe the biggest impediment is funding or lack thereof, with all it's
> ramifications.  [...]
> Other areas that we can control more directly include the effort to adopt
> and adapt reasonable guidelines for the capabilities of those delivering
the
> services...that's us folks! The standards approach allows a requesting
> agency of SAR services to have an "expectation of deliverables" (and you
of
> your fellow searchers). [...]

I snipped much more that is all excellent. Thanks for sharing those
thoughts, Jeff!

You mentioned a "FEMA of SAR" as a potential to encourage. I think that FEMA
would be the right match because SAR and disaster training are often
compatible or even overlap. SAR is a natural to fit under Homeland Security.
But FEMA's collaboration with Fire (for disaster response) works because
Fire has paid professionals supplemented by trained volunteers. One huge
obstacle for a FEMA-based SAR standard is that it would require
collaboration with existing SAR volunteer organizations (NASAR, Mountain
Rescue Assoc., and others) ... and FEMA-generated training would potentially
threaten the very existence of those organizations.

I think a viable option would be if federal funding supported a professional
SAR training organization (evolution to government agency for NASAR, MRA and
others) that continued to address evolving SAR needs in training, and also
maintained a national database of SAR-related resources. As a federal agency
no "member dues" for course attendees (perhaps a token amount to help the
training program expenses?) would be required. Roll that standardized
training out to all the states (and their counties) under the umbrella of
the Citizen's Corp (under Homeland Security) where there is already funding
for volunteers in disaster response and other assistance to local emergency
responders. To get things launched it would also be beneficial to have grant
funding for states and counties to apply to improved SAR Management, better
equipment, etc.

Another option would be for NASAR, et al, to collaborate with FEMA and
receive government funding and backing to roll out a nationwide SAR training
program. With the understanding that member fees would be greatly reduced.
;)

All it takes is money. ;-/

> [...] (Don't get me started
> on why all NASAR's training is wilderness oriented when 90+% of my
searches
> for missing people are urban/rural interfaces!)

You - and anyone else in a more urban SAR environment - may find Chris
Young's white paper worth reading. On the Bay Area Search And Rescue Council
web site ...
http://www.basarc.org/papers/suburban_sar/index.html

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Jorene Downs
Tulare Co, CA
SAR, MSAR, Swiftwater Rescue, US&R,
Technical Rescue, Cave Rescue,
Hasty Team, ICP
www.CEOates.com/sar
Tulare-Kings CERT Program Coordinator
www.tk-cert.org