Help me I'm lost in the woods.......

Next week is our first Introduction to Search and Rescue class for the fall.  We are running two classes this fall, along with a mock search in the central region.  This past Spring the western region did a mock search exercise, and in the Spring of 2014 we will be planning an exercise on the eastern shore.

The fall mock search will be in the McKeldin area of Patapsco.  If you have not signed up there are only a couple of spaces left, so I would sign up soon.  For some of you this may be your first mock search working with all the resources that are available to a search manager.  For the Mckeldin mock search, you will have some exposure to K-9 Air Scent dogs and actually get an opportunity to work with a handler and their dog, as well as some exposure to the Maryland State Police Aviation Team capabilities.  This exercise will be jointly run by the Maryland Park Service and Natural Resources Police.

While most of our searches in the park are short in nature, some searches can be prolonged depending on the type of search.  Most of you have conducted the  directed search and the hasty search stages usually with a good outcome fairly quickly, but on occasion some of you have hit the stage where Natural Resources Police are arriving on the scene and assuming command of the search. So, now what do you do?  Once Natural Resource Police arrive on the scene, you still have a role.  You know our places better then anyone, and you should make sure the arriving officer knows that you are there to support them.

So I thought for this blog I would do a little hasty search refresher and give you some practice in calculating search urgency, as this is a piece of information you will be asked for early in a search.

Hasty Search
( Information taken from: Fundamentals of Search and Rescue, 2005 Jones and Bartlett and National Association of Search and Rescue Inc.)

The criterion for hasty search is speed, as opposed to trying to achieve a certain level of coverage.  The primary objective of hasty searches is to check specific places where the subject or evidence is likely to be discovered quickly and to obtain information about the search area.

Features of a hasty searches include:

• Immediate show of effort
• Requires few resources
• Frequently successful
• Helps define the search area by gathering intelligence or locating clues
• Clue consciousness is a critical success factor and teams used for hasty searches need to be track and sign aware ( should have basic tracking skills) with a familiarity of the terrain being checked and its dangers.
• The subject is often assumed to be responsive at this phase
• Hasty searching often results in determining where not to search further.
• Preplanning is crucial for the immediate availability and effective application of this type of resource.

Techniques used to accomplish hasty searches include:

• Thorough check of last known point (LKP) or point last seen (PLS) for clues, track, direction of travel, etc.
• Following known or suspected route
• Perimeter check - checking around the area where subject known to have been, best used in concert with containment.
• Sign cutting ( looking for sign) all around a piece of evidence, abandon vehicle, PLS or LKP.
• Checking of hazards, attractions, drainages, buildings, trails, roads, and any other places where the subject or evidence is likely to be discovered quickly if the subject is or have been there.

A team that performs hasty searches usually comprises two to four people who are immediately available and very mobile.

K-9 Search teams are usually brought in fairly early in a search that has gone beyond the basic hasty and has moved into more managed search efforts.  The video gives you a basic over view of what to expect when working with an air scent dog and their handler, as well as the hours of training that are involved in the making of a Search and Rescue Dog.

Below you will find a couple of scenarios, I have provided a link to a Search Urgency form.  Take a few minutes to calculate the search urgency for these scenarios and share your score and response type in the comments section of the blog. 

 

 

Scenario 1

It is a busy July 4th Holiday weekend.  It is a hot humid day, with a temperature of about 95 degrees.  Severe Thunderstorms are predicted for your area at dusk.  You are flagged down by a camper, who said she has been unable to locate her two children for more than 30 minutes.  She is concerned , as the younger child has asthma, and his inhaler remains in the tent.  The children are 8 years old and 5 years old.  Both children are boys and they are just wearing their swim trunks and flip flops.  They were last seen at the campsite and were supposed to be headed to the playground.  There is a lake near by, and a section of river that has class 4 rapids.  It is 4:30 PM.  Calculate the search urgency and start running the "what if?".

 

Scenario 2

You have an awesome river for fishing running through your park, it is highly popular with local fishermen as well as those unfamiliar with the area.  While closing the contact station you have the wife of a fishermen stop by the booth and she tells you she dropped off her husband 5 hours ago to fish.  She was supposed to meet him 30 minutes ago, at the parking area nearest the bridge.  He is not there, and she is concerned.  The fishermen has been fishing along this river since he was a teenager.  He is a 45 year old male, in good physical condition, with no known health issues.  He is wearing waders, t-shirt, hat, fishing vest, and carries a fly fisherman's bag.    It is 7:00PM on a Sunday in April.  Outside temp is 52 degrees and expected to remain in that range all night.  Calculate the search urgency and start running the "what if?".

 

Scenario 3

 You have a 1000 acre hunting area within your park.  There are several hunter parking areas all fairly remote from a main road.  While checking your hunter parking area at closing you find a vehicle left in the lot.  Inside the vehicle you note some clothing ( heavy parka and hat) and a box and other packaging for a crossbow and arrows.  There is one hunter on your sign-in sheet who has not signed out for the day.  It is January and the outside temperature is 10 degrees.  It is a clear night, with no precipitation forecasted.  Calculate the search urgency and start running the "what if?"

Feel free to share your search urgency and your next steps with each of these searches in the comments section. ( Click on the blue "comments" and this section will open.)

 

All members of your staff could be involved in search and rescue operations, participation in ISAR classes or search training activities are open to all personnel, this is not an activity that is exclusive to Rangers.

National Association of Search and Rescue, Inc. - a resource for those who are interested in more in depth training in search and rescue.

 

Search is a classic mystery and, therefore, searchers must act and feel much like the fictional character, Sherlock Holmes, who said, "The clues are always here, I must simply have the skill and patience to discover them."  Fundamentals of Search and Rescue, 2005