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msar-riders - Re: [MSAR] Horse search Protocol

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Subject: Mounted search and rescue

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  • From: "irvin lichtenstein" <ilichten1@verizon.net>
  • To: "Mounted search and rescue" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] Horse search Protocol
  • Date: Mon, 26 Dec 2005 14:11:56 -0500

In a well managed search, or for that matter any managed search, resources
should not bump into each other. This indicates resources being off plan and
possibly freelancing. In case you forgot, freelancing is bad because we
don't know what the resource is doing and this leads to safety and
duplication of effort problems.

If your resources have not worked together in the past, or worse, the manger
has little or no knowledge of how they work with others you have to plan to
eliminate close encounters. On a real search alongside a rail yard several
dog handlers didn't come to briefing, only their leader did.
They went off on their assignment and I got radio calls about them being run
over a train. The briefing included several cautions about trains-- stay 6
feet away from the tracks, the yard trains are being pushed so the engineer
is at the back not the front, and through trains are running at half speed
(40 MPH instead of 80MPH). By the way, the handler was deaf as well. This
group was never allowed to be contacted for a search again by several county
EOCs.

The protocol is simple-- manage your resources in the most productive way
you can. Discriminating scent dogs are better than area air scent dogs
because they are more efficient and reduce false alerts. Horses cover more
territory than foot sloggers and go places where they can't. ATV's are great
at making attraction noise, setting woods fires when the arresters are
pulled to make that great noise, and tearing up dirt.

Who yields to who? Whose assignment is it? And what are the other resources
doing there? We carry radios to send information back to the manager to
redistribute to other field units. Chance encounters in the field to
transfer alerts is nonsense.

Search is an emergency that requires delicate and detailed management of
resources.

Irv Lichtenstein



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