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msar-riders - Re: [MSAR] NASAR Standards

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Subject: Mounted search and rescue

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  • From: SARCRNA@aol.com
  • To: msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] NASAR Standards
  • Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2003 11:08:38 EDT

In a message dated 10/22/2003 7:28:22 AM Pacific Daylight Time, tcmatthews0113@msn.com writes:
<<The reason I feel
this way is because I know when the space shuttle went down last spring the
government agencies in charge of the
search contacted NASAR and asked them for a list of SAR Tech certified
ground searchers>>
 
True these are similar arguments as on dog lists.  Funny how people are similar in animal training.  The Shuttle Search demonstrated "trust" in recognized standards.  FEMA was called in to help and they called in handlers that had been tested in the system.  They trusted the handlers as they had trained to a certain standard for live finds.  Their request was for HRD (human remains detection) or also known as cadaver dogs.  Many FEMA dog handlers did not bring their live find dog but brought their cadaver dogs or their FEMA dog that was cross-trained.  Since it was such a huge mission the state Task Force also called in local teams knowing they were red herrings as they had not been held to the same standard as the FEMA teams.
 
Lessons learned from this search was that many of those untested teams were not acceptable, yet many were as they had established requirements in house and tested fairly.  Some of those on our Task Force knew of handlers on the other teams and were aware of discrepancies in standards.  The decision to call everyone was to prevent any bias to teams and the individual teams could dig their own graves by their lack of professionalism in testing their dogs.  This did happen.  The teams that were unacceptable were sent home and now they will probably not be included on the TF support list in the future. 
 
Standards are a necessity and if all of you can learn from the dog teams that have argued about standards for years, then you will be that much farther ahead.  Decide on a basic standard and build on that.  It really is important and imperative that we develop a universal basic "standard of care".  Don't think it has to be so hard that no one can achieve it.  Dog people want to go either too hard or too easy.  Stay in the middle and do a service to your mounted teams.  There are always going to be issues with who tests and who teaches but we've managed to overcome that in the dog world.  I've been through many tests in the FEMA system and on local teams.  If your dog or horse achieves a higher level than is required, then no one can deny you the pass.  And when you pass you know you are a team worthy of a search of any difficulty including something like the shuttle search.  I took an uncertified FEMA dog on that search but she was certified in cadaver on my local team.  That uncertified dog is now the first FEMA Type I dog in Texas.  She passed her basic in July and her advanced in Oct. of this year.  She earned the trust FEMA placed in her.   
 
Susan Martinez
            



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