1saremer.ppt Last Revised: 16 July 2002 SAR is an Emergency Developed as part of the National Emergency Services Curriculum Project

2saremer.ppt Last Revised: 16 July Factors Making Emergency Response Necessary A lag in the alert of mission personnel Victim Surviving vs. time relationship Size of the search area Available Information

3saremer.ppt Last Revised: 16 July 2002 Alert Delay Contrary to popular belief, people dont always assume something went wrong –People get delayed –Plans change –Some people will not be missed Searches may not start until hours or even days after the incident began

4saremer.ppt Last Revised: 16 July 2002 Victim Survival Limitations Chances of finding survivors alive drops rapidly –50% of survivors are found in the first 24 hours –Over 75% of survivors are found within 48 hours Contributing factors –Traumatic injuries and the Golden Hour –Trouble typically occurs in poor weather conditions –Urban population has a low level of survival awareness and outdoor skills

5saremer.ppt Last Revised: 16 July 2002 Limiting the Search Area How far can the survivor go? –The average adult male walks 2 miles an hour in open forest, making the search area approximately 13 square miles. –In two hours the search area is approximately 50 square miles Few missing persons go farther than 3 miles Emergency response keeps the search manageable

6saremer.ppt Last Revised: 16 July 2002 Information is Fragile Best way to find the objective is to find the clues –There are more clues than objectives, but clues are very perishable Witnesses leave the area Tracks are destroyed Scents disperse Dispersed vegetation springs back A quick and appropriate response allows searchers to find clues intact

7saremer.ppt Last Revised: 16 July 2002 Matching the Response with the Need Questions to ask (More Yess = >Urgency) –Are less than six hours of daylight left? –Is the victim very young or very old? –Does the victim have a known or potential medical problem? –Is there only one person involved? –Are weather conditions bad now, or were they when the person, boat or aircraft went missing?

8saremer.ppt Last Revised: 16 July 2002 Matching the Response with the Need continued –Was the victim poorly equipped to handle the environment - including the airworthiness of aircraft or seaworthiness of boats? –Is the subject inexperienced in the environment and/or the local area? –Are known hazardous conditions in the area? –Is the objective missing in an area in which there have been numerous SAR cases?

9saremer.ppt Last Revised: 16 July 2002 Matching the Response with the Need continued –Is the individual reasonably overdue, measured by standards normally used to determine that someone is overdue? Sanity Check - If you have a confirmed distress call you shouldnt have to ask the questions

10saremer.ppt Last Revised: 16 July 2002 SAR is an Emergency Tasks –O-1001: Direct Team Actions at Meeting Point –P-0202: Plan and Brief Sortie –P-0203: Conduct Rehearsals –P-0204: Conduct After Action Review

11saremer.ppt Last Revised: 16 July 2002 QUESTIONS?