Authored by John W. Desmarais 18-Dec-1999 Updated by Brockman 09-Jul-2008 Modified by Lt Colonel Fred Blundell TX-129 Fort Worth Senior Squadron For Local Training Rev Jan

2 This Training Slide Show is a project undertaken by Lt Colonel Fred Blundell of the TX-129 Fort Worth Senior Squadron, Fort Worth, TX for local use to assist those CAP Members interested in advancing their skills. The information contained herein is for CAP Member’s personal use and is not intended to replace or be a substitute for any of the CAP National Training Programs. Users should review the presentation’s Revision Number at the end of each file name to ensure that they have the most current publication.

The Mission of 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 CAPR

NTSB Accident Guidelines Rescuing survivors is paramount to scene preservation 4

NTSB Guidelines (Continued) 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 5

NTSB Guidelines (Continued) 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 6

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) 7

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) 8

Notify the local authorities, NTSB, and the FAA if they have not been already NTSB Guidelines (Continued) 9

NTSB Responsibilities Determine the probable cause of the accident Publicly report all civil aircraft accidents in the United States of America 10

DOs from the NTSB Make sketches or drawings and take pictures Record major disturbances to the scene that you cause 11

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 Mission Coordinator) – –Date of action taken – –Time action was taken – –Brief description of action taken 12

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 13

Ground Team Actions 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. 14

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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 16

Team Leader 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) 17

HAZMAT Safety Zones 18

Team Leader Team Communications Officer – –Maintains communications with mission base via relay or direct transmission – –Remains in contact with hasty team and incoming support teams 19

Team Leader (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 20

Recommended Minimum Photos Taken at Crash Site Photograph perishable evidence early (ice melting off of the wings, victims moved to get at survivors, etc.) Take Photos in a logical order 21

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 22

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 23

Medical Team (Continued) 2 to 3 Support Medical Personnel 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 situationaly aware, but these few members of the team will most likely be the ones hurt if not careful 24

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 25

Position Importance All of the positions referenced in the previous slides are important, and nobody should feel degraded if not in a leadership position 26

QUESTIONS? Always Think Safety! 27