Site Security and Rescue Operations Theory Developed as part of the National Emergency Services Curriculum Project

Mission of Civil Air Patrol Ground Teams To find, identify, and render lifesaving first aid while safeguarding and assisting authorities. Safeguarding is the procedures or actions taken to preserve evidence at an accident/crime scene When a missing person is found dead, the site should be treated as a crime scene Assistance to Law Enforcement officials is outlined in CAPRs 60-3 and 900-3

NTSB Accident Guidelines Rescuing survivors is paramount to scene preservation

NTSB Guidelines Continued Guard the wreckage from further damage Nobody should be allowed inside the wreckage area except those personnel necessary to survivor removal, fire fighting, and the possible removal of mail and cargo when it could possibly be further damaged Items removed from the wreckage must be kept locally for examination by NTSB or accident investigators Drawings and photographs should be taken of the entire crash area, documenting actions on site

NTSB Guidelines Continued Advise the county coroner or medical examiner of the situation Fatalities should be held for autopsy and toxicological exams PRIOR to post mortem actions CAP members should not remove the deceased without the proper federal, state or local authority. It is not recommended that younger cadets or those that may be otherwise naive or new to the situation be involved in victim or survival removal

NTSB Guidelines Continued Identify the position of fatalities, especially if they must be moved to get to survivors Try to photograph the original position of deceased occupants prior to removal from wreckage, but remember not to interfere with victim removal to get to survivors. Tag or otherwise identify the location of each body, making note of the location in the wreckage, or on the ground

NTSB Guidelines Continued News media coverage Accredited news media may be permitted to enter and photograph the wreckage area as long as the wreckage and scene is not disturbed, and extrication is not interfered with Remember that CAP personnel cannot physically restrict entry according to regulation Make Law Enforcement personnel aware of this, and if not immediately available notify intruders of statutes and take their picture for records

NTSB Guidelines Continued Notify the local authorities, NTSB, and the FAA if they have not been already Local law enforcement may not know who to contact at the FAA NTSB may not send anyone – it could be handled by the FAA who will forward their investigative results to NTSB for final analysis

NTSB Responsibilities Determine the probable cause of the accident Publicly report all civil aircraft accidents in the United States of America

DOs from the NTSB Make sketches or drawings and take pictures Record major disturbances to the scene that you cause

DOs from the NTSB Continued Tag disturbed and/or altered items with the following: Name & Organization of person tagging item Telephone number of contact (Mission Base or Incident Commander) Date of action taken Time action was taken Brief description of action taken

DON’Ts from the NTSB DON'T: Disturb switches or aircraft controls Remove fatalities (Unless federally authorized) Disturb the scene, unless necessary to preserve life Take souvenirs

CAP Ground Team Actions CAP ground teams should only take those actions necessary to: Save lives Protect the public Protect the wreckage from further damage What does wreckage look like? A sample is on the next slide.

CAP Ground Team Actions Continued The first team to arrive at the site of a small aircraft accident should break up into three sub teams to secure it: Leader Team Medical Team Hasty or Support Team

Leader Team Ground Team Leader Supervises all actions Insures actions taken are within regulations, standards, and safety margins HAZMAT Rule of Thumb Security Zones(See next slide) Responsible for the following of NTSB rules at the accident or local laws and regulations at the site of missing person found dead (could be a homicide)

HAZMAT Safety Zones

Leader Team Continued Team Communications Officer Maintains communications with mission base via relay or direct transmission Remains in contact with hasty team and incoming support teams

Leader Team Continued Runner/Log Person Makes drawings or sketches and/or takes pictures of the scene to note initial positions, and changes made to preserve life (See next two slides) Record the position of all aircraft switches, knobs and instruments or survivor’s equipment upon arrival at the scene, and changes made during extrication Coordinate incoming personnel, insuring that order is maintained

Recommended Minimum Photos Taken at Crash Site Take Photos in a logical order Photograph perishable evidence early (ice melting off of the wings, victims moved to get at survivors, etc.)

Recommended Photos Continued The same principles applied to aircraft photography can be applied to taking photos of a missing person site If taking photos at night or in poor lighting conditions, use a flash if at possible and/or add light with flashlights Keep a log of photos taken, in order noting anything out of the ordinary

Medical Team Head Medic Responsible for all members coming in contact with the victims or survivors to include the wear of proper medical protective gear, and proper treatment Responsible for requests for evacuation and extrication of victims, survivors, personnel and equipment Responsible for the accounting for of all passenger's that were supposed to be aboard or missing persons part of party being searched for

Medical Team Continued 2 to 3 Support Medical Personnel Perform lifesaving first aid under the direction of the Head Medic Report any hazards or problems with the wreckage that may endanger rescue personnel or survivors further. It should be noted that all personnel need to be situationally aware, but these few members of the team will most likely be the ones hurt if not careful

Hasty or Support Team Made up of the assistant team leader, a communicator, and a first aider or other team personnel depending on the tasks assigned by the team leader May do a hasty search of the area for any missing passengers May set up a perimeter around the site and control incoming personnel May aid in the extrication of survivors

Position Importance All of the positions referenced in the previous slides are important, and nobody should feel degraded if not in a leadership position

Site Security Tasks Ground Team Member Ground Team Leader O-0801: Man a Surveillance Post Ground Team Leader O-0802: Plan and Organize Site Surveillance O-0803: Supervise a Site Surveillance Shift O-0804: Sign over a Site