Mounted search and rescue

[Karen Nesbitt <spanishequines@yahoo.com>]

Thanks for bringing that up..You can include RTVS and golf carts in this catagory too of being a destructive useless vehicle.  While a golf cart is not as noisy, they certainly are destructive.

 

Perhaps someone here form LE can best explain the normal legalities of these vehicles state by state so that EVERONE can be informed.  Perhaps someone can qoute the DOT regulations state by state of these vehicles and explain WHY they are not legal and where they would be not legal if used normally.  That sure would help gettting a GOOD explaination and one that was from an authuratative source.  And after all, if poeple do not know the legalities of them used at home, then what business do themn have on any search?

 

Perhaps too, include the safety gear and requirements for people of different ages and each of the ORV vehicles etc. includuding such laws governing passengers, seatbelts, lights, license, and or title.

 

And while we are on the subject, lets talk use of SMV's for these vehicles....

 

Between the RTVs and the ATVS and the golfcarts using SMVs.. since when is any of them a farm implement warranting an SMV tag, or since when are they street legal especially on a highway??  As for an emergency search vehicle....isnt  the vehicle supposed to be appropriately marked by the LE or FD it comes from?  No private vehicle would then be appropriate would it?  And if it is appropriate, under what instance and why.

 

And perhaps someone can also explain why an SMV would not be appropriate to any of these vehicles?  None of them are FARM implements and none of them would be appropriate to have an SMV according to the regulations about SMV's but then I have seen people use an SMV to mark  driveways and mailboxes and put them on gates and well, guess it dont matter to them that it is illegal.  I have seen people use them on horsetrailers too and pardon me, but that too is not a legal use of them.  Just thoughts here and from what I know, could be a costly fine if LE did its job.

 

Like Irv mentions... every footprint is important and so then likewise if the use of any of these vehicles were to be used on a search, then the laws that apply to each is equally important and those of us using them should be in the know especially if one is brought with the horses to  any search.

 

Thanks

 

 Karen

 

 

 

Messssage: 2
Date: Sun, 14 Jun 2009 22:32:25 -0400
From: "IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN" <ilichten1@verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [MSAR] Hasty Mounted Team?
To: "'Mounted search and rescue'" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
Message-ID: <0KL9003N5DOWTDS4@vms173005.mailsrvcs.net" ymailto="mailto:0KL9003N5DOWTDS4@vms173005.mailsrvcs.net">0KL9003N5DOWTDS4@vms173005.mailsrvcs.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Mountain bikes only make sense if the persons using them are practiced.
Since rubber tired vehicles are limited in where they can go in many areas
the riders are not

practiced searching. Hasty team instruction/briefing is short and sweet:
description of subject, subject's vehicle, possible equipment/clothing, goal
or activity. Unless the family is available or the police verified the
report medical conditions are usually not given in the beginning. They are
to look for clues, not analyze them. Every footprint is important until
ruled out, every parked car of the same make and model is important, every
everything is important. 



ATV's are the most useless search tool ever put in the field-too loud, too
destructive, scary, and usually illegal to use anywhere except during an
emergency so there is no practice time or space. But they are relatively
easy to track-just follow the torn up terrain. Maybe dirt bikes are worse. 



Irv Lichtenstein