Mounted search and rescue

["Mike" <revmp777@earthlink.net>]

I'm also a "ham" (KG 4 IYB) and have worked quite a few special events as a
communicator.  Very often having a ham operator at the right place, at the
right time  has made the difference between a good outcome and disaster.
The amateur frequencies are pretty much the only option for these events
since LE and EMS won't allow us to use theirs.  We have also used ham for
searches where we had large areas, dense cover, and/or multiple search
sites.  We work closely with an EMCOMM group and have great comms potential
if we really need it.  Hopefully we won't.  The license is easy to get now
that Morse code is no longer a requirement and a small HT is not expensive.
All the people on our team are required to get the license.  I strongly
recommend it.

Mike Pici
Team Commander
Florida SAR Specialists, Inc.
www.floridasarspecialists.org
727-798-9227

----- Original Message -----
From: "IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN" <ilichten1@verizon.net>
To: <newtonrn@huxcomm.net>; "'Mounted search and rescue'"
<msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 23:19
Subject: Re: [MSAR] field communications


> Field or tactical communications are essential to any operation.
Regardless
> of type the incident commander needs to know what is going on in the field
> and the field needs to know what has changed since they began their task.
>
> My personal preference has been to use 150 MHz public safety radio. The
> portables can run a true 5 watts, no individual operator license is
> necessary, and you can often intercommunicate with other responders in the
> same band.  While local fire, police and EMS in urban areas (like ours)
have
> shifted to trunked systems other agencies often involved in search have
not.
> PA DCNR, USCG, PA State Police (shift in progress to IP based system), the
> CAP, US Forest and Park Services, the railroads, and others have remained
in
> the 150-175 MHz band. There is a ready source of used equipment in this
band
> where new radios are often less than $350 each and used ones can be had
for
> $55 each and sometimes free.  And these are keyboard programmable mil spec
> radios with large (over 1400MAH) battery packs and smart chargers. And
there
> is the National Fire Cache for major emergencies.
>
> Most public events I have designed the management systems for in the past
> used public safety radio.  The responders on course were responders first,
> and radio operators second. Where they are radio operators first and
> responders second you need more responders. Just as it is easier to train
a
> good rider to be a decent searcher than teaching a good searcher to be a
> safe rider, it is easier to train a responder how to push the talk button
> than it is to teach a radio person to be a good responder. You need more
> than a communicator, you need a decision maker.
>
> There are numerous articles in the public safety trade journals on
planning
> for large events, from the Olympics down to a neighborhood block party.
>
> Irvin Lichtenstein
>
> _______________________________________________
> MSAR-Riders mailing list
> MSAR-Riders@lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/msar-riders
>