Mounted search and rescue

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

Lila Corey wrote:
>I emailed the Brunswick SAR and got no response from them.

Try the telephone?

NC SAR Advisory Council had a March 2008 training on its calendar
that sounds great.  And I think the SAR community in NC is pretty
well developed.  Look out for another training (mock search) next
year;  watch http://www.ncsar.com/.

>Many of these searches in our area are becoming homicides, so 
>crime preservation is a must.

Yes, crime scene preservation is a must, but it is also pretty
simple for a SAR field team:  the primary job is simply to
withdraw.  Also, there is no particular MSAR angle, except that
you may want to know how each horse responds to cadaver scent.

Do you anticipate doing body recoveries?  Would slinging a body
over a horse be acceptable in NC?  It is acceptable in NM, for
some families (eg ranching families, elk hunters), but for urban
families it can be beyond the pale.

Have you considered air scenting training for your horses?  To
begin, your human team members would need to be scent aware.

Does your team require its own SAR management?  In some areas
SAR management is provided by the AHJ (sheriff's office, state
SAR system, state wilderness management agency), so volunteer
SAR teams only need to train their own field team members and
field team leaders.

        Una Smith
        New Mexico