Mounted search and rescue

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

Pam Ogg wrote:
>Once again I come to ask you to share your personal knowledge.

There are a couple of issues here, perhaps best articulated as pros and
cons.  Please note this post in no way concerns any individual presenter.

Cons:

Someone from outside will have travel expenses and usually also expects
to be paid.  Does your group have the funds, and is it the best use of
those funds?

Someone from outside may have little understanding about local needs for
training and local conditions.

Pros:

Someone from outside may command respect by virtue of being "national",
meaning someone not local that you have heard about.  (This is common
but I think it is an error.)

Someone from outside is less likely to present "same old boring stuff"
you have heard before.  At the very least, their presentation should be
fun for you.

Someone from outside is not involved, as far as you know, in any of your
political issues and usually has no history of taking sides among you.

Someone from outside is more likely to offer ideas and techniques that
are "outside" of local best practices and standard operating procedure.
What is offered may be above par or below par, but regardless this can
be very constructive.

[pause]

Some things to ask yourself:  Is there anyone in your local area who
would be a good presenter, if asked to develop a presentation?  Are you
overlooking local talent?  To find local talent, ask everyone you know.
If you want to bring in someone from outside, ask "who"?  Many members
of MSAR-Riders are established as highly qualified presenters in their
local area.  Ask yourself how do they differ and which of them would
best meet your needs?  What are your needs?  Consider the kind of SAR
system in operation in your state.  Does your state have independent
SAR groups, a statewide system, or county sheriff's office teams?  How
important are MOUs?  Is SAR in your state in its infancy, young and
rapidly maturing, mature, or due for an overhaul?  Also, what are your
major objectives?  Unit development, recruiting, training, operations,
marketing MSAR to SAR managers?  Issues such as these should influence
your choice of presenter.

Pam, on the whole, I think bringing a presenter in from outside is very
constructive.  But, to get the most out of an outside presenter requires
that you examine *your needs*, deeply and broadly, then consider your
choices of outside presenter.  Maybe you have done that already, but I
think from your questions here that you might have skipped that step.

If you do first examine your needs, then you might post here a call for
proposals from people who would like to give you a presentation that 
meets your needs.

        Una Smith
        New Mexico