Mounted search and rescue

["irvin lichtenstein" <ilichten1@verizon.net>]

The basic mutual aid agreement is a letter contract between the
organizations. On the MSAR side you have to specify how to call you out and
under what circumstances you will respond, what happens if you out on
another call or cannot respond due to weather, lack of volunteers available,
etc. (This is called scratching). You specify what services/ equipment you
will bring on a call. In return for your coming to the EMA's assistance they
should offer you something, dispatch services, training opportunities,
usually something that doesn't cost them something.

Most of these just say, you call we come if we can. It is nice if you can
specify how they call so you can verify that the call our is valid. Example:
Once upon a time there was a search with the local fire and police on scene
and the EMA said no further resources were going to be requested.  Later on
a CAP unit got involved and invoked their wing mutual aid pact with the
state sar council to call out everybody in the world.  We told them we had
been told to stay home by the EMA and we were staying home. Was there a
ruckus at the next sar council meeting!!  There are some letters and
procedures in the material I placed in the ASTM file or I can send them to
you.

Irv Lichtenstein