Mounted search and rescue

["philip easley" <easleyranch@foothill.net>]

Once you have finished your risk assessment and have been able to establish
a need for MSAR in your area.  You then need to sell the idea to your local
SAR authority (usually your Sheriff's Department).  You will need to either
join their sanctioned SAR group or convince them to accept your group as a
sanctioned resource.  They will likely have requirements you will need to
meet.  You may have to do some research with other groups and establish
qualifications.  That is important for liability reasons as well as making
sure your members will be able to perform the tasks.  Your local SAR
Authority will not use you if you are a liability or are not able to
perform.  You can send people out of your area to train with other groups
and steal their training ideas and standards.  Fortunately for you, there
are a lot of groups now to get that from.  Many states have something
equivalent to an Office of Emergency Services and they will coordinate
training like California does with our SAREX that is hosted by a different
county each year.  When I did it 20 years ago there were official MSAR
training available.  We had to make it up as we went and stumble through
setting our own standards based partly on Law Enforcement Mounted Patrol for
qualifications.  Once you get your training set up and applied, you have to
show your local SAR Coordinators that you are an asset to them and have
patients.  It will take a while to get them to gain confidence in your group
and to remember to call you.  The way I did it (fortunately, I am a Deputy
Sheriff and a SAR Coordinator) was I would find a polite way to let the
other coordinators know where the horses could have been used and saved time
as well as resources.  Most of it is lack of knowledge on the part of the
other coordinators of the abilities of MSAR.  I had to organize joint
training with the other SAR groups in our area with the SAR Coordinators
watching to show them.  Do not get discouraged with this.  It is an uphill
battle, but if I did not do it back then, we would not have MSAR established
in this county now.  I can think of past cases where people could have died
if we had not been there.  There is no amount of money that could equal the
feeling you get when you save a life or bring a lost loved one back to their
family.  That made it all worth it.
Philip Easley
Nevada County Sheriff's Search And Rescue Inc.
Nevada City, Ca.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ms Teri Oliver" <terilynne3@yahoo.com>
To: "Mounted search and rescue" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Saturday, January 14, 2006 7:52 AM
Subject: [MSAR] MSAR in TN


> Does anyone know of training sessions in middle TN or how to start an
MSAR? We live in the Shelbyville area and there is absolutely nothing in
this area for hundreds of miles.  Is there a reason for this? Is there not a
need? Or not an interest? How would I go about discovering the answer to
these questions?
>
>   We are in the Walking Horse capital of the world.  They are great trail
horses that cover ground quickly and smoothly, allowing the rider to ride
for hours.  I believe that if advertised there would be an interest here.
But is there a need?
>
>   Terilynne
>
>
>
>
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