Mounted search and rescue

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

All of Pennsylvania is volunteer SAR and over 90% of the fire and most of the EMS ia also.  That didn’t stop us from adopting ICS statewide over 10 years ago and NIMS last year.  All our responses involve multiple jurisdictions, multiple agencies, and often several agencies claim jurisdiction over the same land.  For instance, we have a national park that is concurrently under two townships (in two different counties), the state police, and the National Park Service and the FBI often shows up because it is a federal reservation and in sight of a major defense contractor’s plant.  All our state parks are under the jurisdiction of the township, state, and the state park rangers (who are accredited peace officers).  In most of the suburbs the local cops turn it over to the volunteer fire company, and then they call SAR resources. 

 

Without the use of unified command and ICS we would have the biggest mess ever seen.  And there is no law in Pennsylvania giving any one agency authority to look for missing or lost persons. Consider yourself lucky that the sheriff is in charge by statute, saves a lot of arguments.

 

Irv Lichtenstein

 

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From: msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Randy Nelson
Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2007 2:15 PM
To: MSAR-Riders@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [MSAR] Oregon

 

most of Oregon MSAR/SAR are volunteers, Under the state laws, each county Sheriff is responsible for all search & rescue missions, Most SAR will have Sheriff Deputy over looking all searches.

 

 

Randy Nelson, EMT-I

Training Officer

Jackson County Sheriff's Posse