Mounted search and rescue

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

On Thu, Mar 26, 2009 at 06:36:15PM -0400, Finkle, Tomi <CTR> wrote:
>Could you share which (state) orgaization in NM manages that SAR program and 
>its operations? This also means that 10 percent of the states in the USA now 
>have some type of MSAR standards they reference.

New Mexico has a state law assigning responsibility for SAR to the 
State Police, in the form of a SAR Resource Office with supervison by
a SAR Board.  The SAR Resource Office has a single paid employee.
The first incumbent was Rick Goodman;  the second was (and is) James
Newberry.  Between them, these entities have invested responsibility
for training in the non-profit association New Mexico Emergency
Services Council (NMESC) and responsibility for testing in the Field
Certification (? formerly PACE) Committee, which has developed a
training manual and testing program.  The SAR Board has oversight of
this Committee.  The SAR Board is appointed by the Governor.  All of
this is per state law, namely the New Mexico SAR Act and Plan.  

The SAR Resource Office maintains a register (a "Resource Book") of
SAR resources (teams and, at the management level, individual SAR
resources) and appoints Area Commanders and Field Coordinators.  The
individual resources, all civilian volunteers, are the people who
actually manage all SAR operations in New Mexico, once a SAR mission
number has been assigned.  All Area Commanders, Field Coordinators,
and Logistics Section Chiefs have copies of the Resource Book.

At present, I am an individual resource, a Planning Section Chief.

Tomi, does this satisfy your questions?  Which other states are you
counting in your 10%?

        Una Smith
        New Mexico