Mounted search and rescue

["IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN" <ilichten1@verizon.net>]

One of the major problems with SAR is that it is not funded and not
organized in most instances. Twenty years ago if you had SOGs and some kind
of dispatch procedure you were head and shoulders above other responders. 
Today, it is expected that you will be organized, that you will have some
initial resources with training, and internal organization and
communications.  

There were a lot of "drop outs" in this area who wanted to get back in (or
said they did) so we did a risk analysis and planned what was needed. Some
things needed in the past we could drop because other agencies now routinely
provided big command post buses so we didn't need one, even the little
trailer other groups used.  There were allegedly ground pounders in the area
so we decided not to have ground troops at first, and the same with dogs.
When the Feds added LART and CART to the response plan we had an opening. A
mounted unit has to be able to rescue its horse members and relocate in
disaster so we were doing LART and CART anyway.  We have recruited 17
members so far, only 2 of whom are "drop backs".  We have an infrastructure
based on e-mail and have done all the legalities and then some. Most
importantly we got liability insurance, an absolute requirement in PA where
there is no sovereign immunity.

You need to be an organization, you need to be responsive, and you will have
to demonstrate that you respond to calls. That is our next step. We have
convinced county agencies that we are viable and they have decided to grant
us a slot on the CAD, pagers, and (2) 800 MHz radios and the use of the
county's 150 MHz fire channels, which only 3 of 93 fire companies still use
routinely. That will be the next test.  
Irv Lichtenstein