Mounted search and rescue

["Jorene Downs" <Jorene@CEOates.com>]

Irv, what you perceive as normal or available options aren't necessarily
normal or available elsewhere. I'm not sure why you gave examples of air
resources that are several hundred miles away from me. Also with your Los
Angeles area example consider that sometimes in CA there are perhaps 30 or
more SAR incidents in progress around the state at the same time, perhaps
competing for similar mutual aid resources or at least unable to provide
resources for mutual aid. With such a large state, you also don't often find
a lot of resources deployed from one large region to another due to travel
time and distance.

Regardless, the air assets suitable for the L.A. region aren't necessarily
suited for highest elevations, extreme heat, etc., so may not even be a
viable resource in every other area in the So CA region, much less in other
areas of CA like the Sierra Nevada's higher elevations. Distance and fuel
consumption and availability may also be an issue. Also consider that active
duty military does NOT guarantee a helicopter rescue team is stationed at
that base, much less that it is available or even located within a few hours
flight time from the SAR incident. 

Remember I mentioned in prior email that in some wilderness SAR the
personnel *expect* to be out overnight, and may pack for 72 hours away from
camp, many miles from support resources or access roads. (For example, there
is an MSAR rider a couple of counties north from me who is also a tracker
who normally deploys with a pack animal.) I also tried to describe there can
be vast differences in availability of resources, particularly if more
remote wilderness SAR is compared to those closer to resources. 

What is acceptable and available in one area may not be the same in another.
This is why SAR management in various operational areas consider what is
acceptable and available in their *own* region. I'm sure all SAR management
would be delighted to have rescue chopper air support readily available,
complete with fully equipped Paramedics capable of insertion, rope rescue as
needed, and hoist extraction ... and improve that dream by being able to fly
day or night in any weather or terrain. But if resource A isn't available,
you move to option B, C, and however far down the list you need to go. At
some point you need to draw the line because a resource isn't suitable. But
you work with whatever resources you *do* have, not what you'd *prefer* to
have.

Also remember that in some wilderness areas (national parks, forests, etc.)
helicopters need special permission granted to land or even do a close
hover. While the answer is very likely to be yes for a major medical injury,
the response may be no for a non-injury unless the person has been out there
for a while, or the yes may be limited to a different location that requires
transporting the person to use an LZ instead of increasing risk with a
helicopter hoist, etc. Also, helicopters may not be allowed to fly in that
area after dark, much less hover or land. 

Some examples requiring management decisions might help folks understand.
Assuming a land SAR incident with no nearby usable water access and no
wheeled vehicles allowed off-road ... given a "need to relocate" situation
with minor injury or health issue that means walking isn't a good option,
SAR management considers the various resources who can transport and how
many are needed, availability of those resources and related response time
frame, weather, time of day, travel distance using various routes to the LZ,
resource speed of travel, terrain, etc. Also consider the same issues for
transport to the nearest access road where an ambulance or even 4WD vehicle
could meet. Saddled horse transport with an extra saddled mount can get the
subject to the LZ in daylight hours so the helicopter can meet them, but the
ground SAR litter carry needs more people sent in and would take too long
and would require staying overnight in the field for a morning helicopter
ride. It would take a few hours longer to transport to a viable road ... and
a storm is incoming. Now change the situation so a helicopter isn't
available until morning or can't fly due to weather, but an MSAR team is
nearby (or made the find) and walking / leading the subject out in the
saddle to the nearest road can meet an ambulance / motorized transportation
about 2 hours after dark, but it would take a litter carry about an hour
longer. 

These aren't the kind of decisions SAR management in rural or small
wilderness areas commonly need to make, but those in larger wilderness areas
- particularly in more remote larger wilderness areas - may consider it
fairly routine ... provided MSAR are trained to transport in the saddle.
Otherwise, the only real option in the examples is the labor intensive
distance litter carry.

I suspect there are many rural or small wilderness areas that have close
enough roads that support resources with higher level of medical and related
equipment can respond fairly quickly in an off-road vehicle or even on foot,
and additional resources may be less than hour away. But there are also some
areas where that isn't the case, and remote wilderness SAR can take notably
longer and get more complicated ... or at least has a much higher potential
to use less contemporary solutions like hoofing it instead of wheeling or
flying. ;-)

In the more remote areas you use what is available ... and in some
circumstances MSAR trained to transport in the saddle is a very viable
option. There are also some MSAR units who include packers, and some of them
train with nearby SAR Dogs so they are prepared to pack a dog on a pack
animal and give a saddled passenger ride to the handler. In another area it
might be drivers on quads packing the SAR Dog - or the person in a litter -
because wheeled vehicles are allowed off road and the trails and terrain are
suitable. In territory with a lot of water you might have resources with
boats as a viable option. Different situations, different options and
solutions, using available resources.

- - - - - -
Jorene Downs
SAR & CERT
Mounted SAR
www.ceoates.com/msar 


-----Original Message-----
From: IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN [mailto:ilichten1@verizon.net] 

Compared to Los Angeles County or even Orange County Fire Departments our
air assets are limited.  LA County Fire operates one of the largest air
forces in the world, closely matched by the LA Sheriff. Orange County just
took delivery of two new from the factory Bell 412's, while retaining 2
UH-1's as backups.  You have additional forces available from active duty
bases and Coast Guard Stations as well as other city and county assets, such
as brush crews and tractor crews. [..]