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Subject: Mounted search and rescue
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[MSAR] SAR Perspectives / Training Conference idea?--facility
- From: "Jorene Downs" <Jorene@CEOates.com>
- To: "'Mounted search and rescue'" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
- Subject: [MSAR] SAR Perspectives / Training Conference idea?--facility
- Date: Mon, 25 May 2009 06:14:29 -0700
SAR
folks can have very different ideas about what is appropriate response time,
how far away to look for additional resources, how many days of supplies to
carry, etc. Irv’s
mention of typical large open space on the east coast being 1200 acres to 9200
acres clearly demonstrates why it is difficult sometimes for SAR in a “smaller
parks” region to relate to SAR in other regions with notably larger open
space, and the reverse is also true. I
also should mention that Irv’s public lands “typical” acreage
numbers for the east coast parks don’t reflect Adirondack
Park and Forest Preserve - 6.1 million acres in Upstate NY. (Larger than
Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky, and Everglades National Parks
combined.) Obviously “vast” open space is also present
on the east coast since this is the largest park in the nation outside of
Alaska. Searching
the more vast and remote open space has different challenges, just like
searches closer to transportation and a population base have issues not common
to deep wilderness searches when someone goes missing. For example, one search
manager may have people checking nearby roads and public transportation options,
while another is calling for more resources with 72 hour packs and positioning some
searchers on key remote trail intersections. For
perspective … There
are many farms and ranches in the size category of 1,000-10,000 acres. (Irv’s
east coast large open space comment indicated typical 1200-9200, which would be
comparable in size.) Many are larger than 10,000. Less than a mile from me is a
36,000 acre ranch, and there are larger ranches in the county and the state. The
largest privately held contiguous property in CA is Tejon Ranch with 270,000
acres. The King Ranch in TX is something like 825,000 acres – one of the
largest ranches in the world - and there are 100,000+ acre ranches around
the country and world. Ranch
acreage can certainly be vast … and is often adjacent to other ranches or
public lands. So there is potential in some regions that a SAR starting in
public lands can end up including large ranch acreage. In some circumstances
the missing person may have been reported last seen on the ranch itself. (A
good time to know in advance the horse is desensitized to that ranch’s
livestock.) My
local perspective … In
my county in CA, the Sequoia National Forest is 1,144,235
acres (1,787.87
square miles) with 850 miles of trails … and that is only 1 of several
wilderness
public land regions with shared boundaries,
all in the same county operational area. I suspect close to half of the county is
in public lands. (Parks, Forests, Wilderness Areas, etc.) Mt. Whitney is 14,505 feet
– the highest summit in the contiguous United States. (The peak is the county
line.) Access into the mountains is very limited, with narrow, winding, steep
roads that means limitations for trailers longer than a certain length even on
the few primary access roads. For
a broader perspective … There
are many counties / SAR operational areas larger than the one I live in. For
example, San Bernardino
County, CA, is the largest county in the USA (aside from four of Alaska's
districts) by area – 12,867,200 acres (20,105 sq. miles) - and is
larger than each of the 9 smallest states. (MD and smaller. West VA is about
4000 sq miles larger.) San Bernardino has several large public lands in the
county, not to mention substantial area in desert and mountains. Population
tends to be grouped, often with huge amounts of open land between. San
Bernardino County’s solution to SAR in their huge jurisdiction was to create
management and response units with a primary response in their own area, but
available elsewhere in the county or for mutual aid outside the jurisdiction.
Some teams are more oriented to desert, others more to mountains, etc. A
countywide SAR council helps keep the various units pointed in the same
direction with county requirements that meet / exceed State’s for the
various resource types, joint training, etc. (Correct me if I didn’t get
this right, Chris!) Sorry,
for any more specific global information for perspective, you’re on your
own. ;-) The
above mostly focuses on how “open space” can mean something
entirely different to someone in a different region. Even something like the minimum
size of the MSAR team in the field can be different, usually influenced by
accessibility for support for that team, with the common 2-3 rider team
increased to 4 by the time there is substantial distance involved, or increased
to a larger number if needed to perform the mission. There
are obviously other issues we should consider for MSAR, but I hope this has
given people a better perspective of how others in SAR / MSAR may have a very
different view and expectation, based on what they are accustomed to locally. Hopefully
it gets folks thinking. For example, knowing there is a ranch down the street almost
4 times larger than the reported east coast typical open space got me thinking
about how a smaller open space surrounded by a populated area requires some
different management thinking … and those issues may be related to MSAR
resources, with different options for missions. Regardless,
the same foundation in SAR / MSAR training should prepare us all to respond to
any region that doesn’t have notable challenges that we don’t have
experience with, or aren’t equipped for as a responder. We can all learn
from each other to build a more solid foundation, spread the word, and also
look for ways to expand capabilities. Now
that I’ve rattled everyone’s cage, I’ll (literally) go close
the suitcase and disappear offline for a week. J - - - - - - Jorene Downs SAR & CERT Mounted SAR From: IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN […]
In the East the really large areas are public
lands with typical parks ranging from 1200 acres to 9200 acres. […] |
-
Re: [MSAR] Training Conference idea?
, (continued)
-
Re: [MSAR] Training Conference idea?,
Shirley Roberts, 05/29/2009
- Re: [MSAR] Training Conference idea?, James Ford, 05/29/2009
- Re: [MSAR] Training Conference idea?, Una Smith, 05/29/2009
- Re: [MSAR] Training Conference idea?, porleslie, 05/30/2009
- Re: [MSAR] Training Conference idea?, IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN, 05/23/2009
-
Re: [MSAR] Training Conference idea?,
Jorene Downs, 05/24/2009
-
Re: [MSAR] Training Conference idea?--facility,
IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN, 05/24/2009
-
Re: [MSAR] Training Conference idea?--facility,
Jorene Downs, 05/24/2009
-
Re: [MSAR] Training Conference idea?--facility,
IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN, 05/24/2009
- Re: [MSAR] Training Conference idea?--facility, Una Smith, 05/25/2009
- [MSAR] SAR Perspectives / Training Conference idea?--facility, Jorene Downs, 05/25/2009
-
Re: [MSAR] Training Conference idea?--facility,
IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN, 05/24/2009
-
Re: [MSAR] Training Conference idea?--facility,
Jorene Downs, 05/24/2009
-
Re: [MSAR] Training Conference idea?--facility,
IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN, 05/24/2009
- Re: [MSAR] Training Conference idea?, T'mi Fi, 05/24/2009
- Re: [MSAR] Training Conference idea?, Una Smith, 05/25/2009
- Re: [MSAR] Training Conference idea?, pennbo, 05/27/2009
- Re: [MSAR] Training Conference idea?, pennbo, 05/30/2009
-
Re: [MSAR] Training Conference idea?,
Shirley Roberts, 05/29/2009
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