Mounted search and rescue

["Lauri Struve" <lauris10@earthlink.net>]

To echo Irv, don't we have to judge if a situation is too risky for our
team or mounts? Isn't the first rule of emergency response to NOT become
part of the problem, creating more victims?
Lauri


> [Original Message]
> From: IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN <ilichten1@verizon.net>
> To: <dbs54neigh@earthlink.net>; Mounted search and rescue
<msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Date: 9/17/2006 12:30:45 AM
> Subject: Re: [MSAR] MSAR training
>
> The key wording is "save a life".  There are chances I might take or ask
my
> mount to take if a real subject is in danger but the benefit must outweigh
> the risk to the rescuers.  There are many classic cases where rescuers
> rushing in actually slowed down rescue or evacuations in urban settings.
>
> The question again is: Is it worth the Risk? When we are training or
> evaluating riders and mounts how much danger do we need to simulate?
> Getting out of a tight spot is confidence building skill as well as a
> necessity in some cases.  
>
> We should make training as realistic as possible.  It is accepted that we
> fight as we train and we train as we fight, only tougher. We do have one
> advantage in training, we pick when, where, and how much.  We can also
> reduce the risks in training by providing extra safety observers, on scene
> EMS and veterinary care and added expertise in the form of instructors.
This
> reduces the risks.  
>
> The basic standard should set expected performance levels.  If possible we
> should provide a training guide on how to meet those levels and possibly
how
> to evaluate whether the training objective has been met. This is pedagogy,
> not rescue or search. 
>
> I often "wimp out" on training missions--while riding on ice or in
> thunderstorms may be required sometime, neither is a training condition
with
> acceptable risk factors even with Borium on his shoes. 
>
> Irv Lichtenstein  
>
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