Mounted search and rescue

[Una Smith <una.smith@att.net>]

Jorene Downs wrote:
>Going forward you'll want to meet MSAR national standards, which are 
>currently stalled

Folks, Jorene is referring to the pace of work within ASTM F32's
MSAR task group.  For what it's worth, I am a member of several
ASTM committees, not just F32, and in my experience the pace of
the MSAR task group's work has at times been extraordinarily fast
and furious;  the current pace is more normal.


>national standards for ground SAR, which is ASTM F2209 
>(NASAR SARTECH II www.nasar.org or equivalent)

There is no national standard for ground SAR.  ASTM F2209 is one
standard that applies to ground SAR, but ASTM F2209 is not a
national standard because it has not been adopted by a national 
authority.  Various curricula, not exclusively NASAR's, more or
less meet ASTM F2209.  I say "more or less" because, to my
knowledge, none of the available curricula have been formally
evaluated re whether they meet ASTM F2209.

Yennyhoo, *we* (meaning MSAR-Riders subscribers) are who define
what are the best standards of practice in our SAR specialty.

        Una Smith
        New Mexico