To: Mounted search and rescue <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [MSAR] riders per unit/response
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 2010 08:11:34 -0700
On Tue, Feb 09, 2010 at 05:45:48PM -0500, Irvin Lichtenstein wrote:
>It would be useful to see what constitutes critical mass for a MSAR group.
>How many members/horses does it take to be an effective emergency response?
Here is my $0.02, based on repeatedly visiting MSAR team websites for
almost 8 years now.
Some mounted resources I have added to the web directory are a single
field team within a larger SAR unit. So 2 or 3 people is the minimum,
but they have to all be qualified and available to respond on a field
team, and work well together.
For an independent SAR unit (organizational team) to survive, whether
pure MSAR or mixed specialty, my best estimate is that it needs at
least 20 people. A SAR unit run by a sheriff or EMS office may get
by with under 20 people, with administrative and logistics help from
the sponsoring organization.