Mounted search and rescue

[Tm' Fi <tfinkle@erols.com>]

MOU has turned into a key must have term.  Conventionally a MOU is 
between AHJ's and not between like teams.   However, because MOU's are 
looked at with such positive light, my mounted team established formal 
Training MOU's between some of the other SAR teams in DE and VA.   Our 
Training MOU's address common resources, common communications, common 
training goals and a yearly joint training exercise.  

You may want to give some consideration to establishing a couple of 
MOU's with Faith Based organizations who have developed disaster 
response teams.  FEMA has no legal control over the deployment of Faith 
Based groups or their resources and some local governments used this 
catch-22 to obtain SAR assistance during the Katrina and Rita response 
and recovery efforts.

PS: Keep in mind that many EMA or OES mangers do not have field 
experience and have backgrounds in public administration (FEMA's Mr. 
Brown is a prime example).  A good team leader of a local resource needs 
to research HSPD-5 and 8 requirements in order to level out the playing 
field. 


> Lois Guyon wrote:
>  
>
> > The head of EMA [...] said that we would need mutural aid agreements
> > with other MSAR units.
> >    
> >
> > Are there FEMA  certifications that are helpful?

Absolutly!  go to the FEMA EMI site and look at the IS-100 (ICS) and 
IS-700 (NIMS) courses and the IS-800 will soon another mandated training 
course of all goverment and non-government resources (I postedx the 
links to this site yesterday).

Tomi`
TROT-SAR
State of Maryland