We will be introducing you to the world of search and rescue! You might be thinking you would like to join a search and rescue group. Come to this basic awareness class and see if it's what you thought it would be! Here's a taste:
Fundamental search and rescue skills are a diverse collection of topics that cover many areas divided into three basic categories for organizational purposes:
Search
Rescue
Survival/Support
Search training continues your education in the area of searching only. Specialties include land search, water search, air search, the application of search theory, search planning, and search dogs.
Rescue training includes diverse specialties that differ in terrain and equipment: Specialties are based in the environments in which they are required including mountain, wilderness, ice, water and urban rescue as well as many others. Equipment differs greatly from rescue types to rescue type.
Survival/Support training is an area of study that includes many skills that are also included in search and rescut, but are skills that may be required independent of both: Such skills include wilderness survival, navigation, improvisation, fitness and communication.
Tools used for search and rescue are situational dependent. What works in one situation may not work in another. It is important in search and rescue to gain knowledge from many sources, tempering everything with practicality and experience.
Search and rescue education is a "tool" acquisition process. Specific knowledge and skills are tools to the rescuer. Some tools work better than others in certain situations, but all may be of value at one time or another.
Search and rescue members should acquire as many "tools" as possible. The more tools you have the better the chances that you will have what it takes to perform safely and effectively. These tools may eventually serve as the only foundation on which to build a system that is expected to save a life.
Search planners use probabilities and search theory to help them:
Allocate resources so that the maximum overall POS possible is achieved in the shortest time possible with available resources;
Decide when and how to search or re-search a segment;
Decide when to increase or decrease the search area;
Decide when to suspend an unsuccessful search or move the search area;
Rationalize actions to family and media; and,
Justify actions to others or in court.
It all starts with learning the language.
Search Effort: a.k.a. track line length. The total distance traveled by all searchers while searching in the assigned segment
Probability of Area (POA) (also, Probability of Containment [POC]). The probability that the search object is contained within the boundaries of a region, segment or other geographic area.
Probability of Detection (POD): The probability of the search object being detected, assuming it was in the segment searched.
Probability of Success (POS): The probability of finding the search object with a particular search.
Region: A subset of the search area based only on factors that affect POA. Regions may require segmentation prior to searching. Regions are based on probability of the search object's location, not on suitability for assigning search resources.
Search Area: The area determined by the search planner where SAR personnel will look for a search object.
Search Object: A ship, aircraft, or other craft missing or in distress, or survivors, or related search objects, persons, or evidence for which a search is being conducted.
Search Speed: The average rate of travel (speed over the ground) of searchers while engaged in search operations within a segment.
Segment: A designated subarea (subset of the search area) to be searched by one or move specifically assigned search resources.
Sensor: Human senses (sight, hearing, touch, etc.), those of specially trained animals (such as dogs), or electronic devises used to detect the object of a search.
Track Line Length (TLL): (a.k.a. effort) Total distance traveled by searchers or boats or aircraft while searching.
|
