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Subject: Mounted search and rescue

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  • From: Una Smith <una.smith@att.net>
  • To: Mounted search and rescue <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] Successful Search today
  • Date: Mon, 8 Jun 2009 08:47:37 -0600

Chris,

Congratulations to everyone on that search for the swift find. SAR
is a team effort and you describe good teamwork.

I am curious about SAR management protocol for probable suicides in
your county. Here in New Mexico the policy is that SAR team callouts
are delayed for probable suicides, due to a concern for the safety
and wellbeing of the SAR volunteers who are not trained to intervene
in suicide attempts.

That may be a difference in kind; in New Mexico only a tiny minority
of SAR teams are trained and certified as public safety reserve
officers. I know in some states reserve officer status is the norm,
and if I recall correctly that is the case in Chris's county, San
Bernardino County, California.

Chris has mentioned San Bernardino County is enormous. According
to http://quickfacts.census.gov, it is 20,000 square miles, with 85
persons per square mile in the year 2000.

I was curious how my area compares. In New Mexico, SAR operates
on a state, not county system. Normal callout area for SAR teams
local to me is these 8 counties:

New Mexico county sq mi per/sq mile
Los Alamos 109 168
Rio Arriba 5,900 7
Taos 2,200 14
Santa Fe 1,900 68
San Miguel 4,700 6
Torrance 3,300 5
Bernalillo 1,200 477
Sandoval 3,700 24

>From those numbers, I calculate the area is 23,000 square miles,
with 40 persons per square mile. Elevation ranges from 5,300 feet
to just over 13,000.

Una Smith
New Mexico




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