Mounted search and rescue

["Jorene Downs" <Jorene@CEOates.com>]

From: "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.

We seem to have different perspectives regarding what is a "normal" pace. ;) 
At the ASTM F32 meeting in TX in May, the entire F32 committee expressed 
concern that there was no follow-up from the meeting in CO last November. 
(They had been expecting to review a revised Mounted Searcher document that 
had again gone to ballot.) I'm active developing other ASTM standards, but 
just a contributor and voter on the group working on the MSAR standards. But 
I regularly get inquiries on the MSAR standards progress ... and for about 8 
months I have had to reply that the first of 2 related MSAR documents is 
very close to completion, but progress appears to be stalled for some 
reason.

> > 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. [...]

What "national authority" would you expect to adopt ASTM F2209? ASTM F32 is 
active at the national level with feds, etc. NASAR is recognized and is 
active at the federal level, and NASAR follows ASTM F2209. NASAR will also 
use the pending ASTM MSAR standards. MRA (Mountain Rescue Association) is 
the other prominent SAR organization in the country, also recognized by the 
feds, and they also support ASTM F2209. So, indirectly the feds are already 
recognizing ASTM F2209 simply by recognizing NASAR and MRA. But hopefully 
the new nationwide State SAR Coordinators Council formed in May will fill 
the role as a single, official "national authority" for SAR going forward.

Regardless, ASTM F2209 has already been identified a part of the 
requirements for meeting the pending ASTM standards for the mounted 
searcher. So folks who want to meet ASTM national standards for MSAR will 
also need to meet ASTM F2209. Also, to meet federal NIMS requirements, folks 
who want to respond mutual aid are expected to meet national standards for 
that resource type ... and ASTM is recognized de facto as the source for 
national SAR standards.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Jorene Downs
www.ceoates.com/msar