:: Ted Fisher's SAR blog (STSAR) ::

:: Sunday, March 12, 2006 ::

I have shifted to a new blog site: http://stsar.org/blog

:: vcsar 14:45 [+] ::
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Everyone involved in Search and Rescue may want to review the following web site with information on the US National Grid Referencing System. Similar to the UTM system that many of us use in Search and Rescue. You may see changes in GPS units and mapping in general when it applies to Search and Rescue and Homeland Security. It gives everyone a common reference for spatial applications (navigation).

I am sure you will be hearing about it in the future.

http://www.xyproject.org/

:: vcsar 20:27 [+] ::
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I am still amazed at the number of individuals that believe that Search and Rescue teams still lineup shoulder to shoulder and walk through the woods. Thus the more people the better. Can you imagine managing hundreds of volunteers on a search mission. It makes me wonder on some of the searches they use for educational purposes such as the "Andy Warburton" search when they have thousands of volunteers what the managers went through.

I realize that there may become a need for the shoulder to shoulder type searches because I have been there but I am grateful for the new(well newer) theories in Search that utilize limited resources much better.

:: vcsar 18:42 [+] ::
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As the members of VCSAR are well of we just completed a Search Management class, so we now have several qualified search managers for call out. I want to personally thank you for attending and I appreciate your commitment to Vermilion County Search and Rescue. Without you we don't exist.

Keep the ideas coming in for future classes you would like to attend. I have plans for a Wilderness Survival class just need the time to formulate it. I also want to cover GPS usage, waiting to see what happens with the National Grid system if it is implemented for use with existing GPS equipment or how different it is from UTM Grid system.

I have also had a request for some training in Tactical Tracking, I will have to give that some thought because we almost need private property for that. State and County parks kind of frown down on people carrying weapons even simulated ones in the parks. I also have to evaluate the need as it pertains to Vermilion County Search and Rescues mission. It may be more of a "Special Tactics Search and Rescue"(STSAR) mission.

:: vcsar 18:34 [+] ::
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Speaking of "Cody Lundin" Discovery Channel recently aired two 1 hour programs: "LOST IN THE WILD Nova Scotia" and "LOST IN THE WILD High Desert" both episodes featured Cody as the Survival expert that took four untrained individuals into the wilderness and places them in a safe survival situation. After being lost for a few days experiencing the emotional, mental and physical stresses a Search and Rescue team attempts to locate the four and rescue them. The SAFE part is Cody stays with them just in case things really get out of hand. Along the way Cody facilitates some survival instruction to the group.

The two episodes are well worth your attention and as soon as we can purchase the tapes we will probably be using them for instructional purposes.

:: vcsar 18:24 [+] ::
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Been awhile since I posted, so I thought I would get somewhat up-to-date.

I don't usually promote people or products unless I think they are exceptional, and this book is no exception to my rule:Cody Lundin's new book "98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive"
by Cody Lundin, Russ Miller (Illustrator), Christopher Marchetti (Photographer)

I enjoy reality instruction and Cody brings reality and spices it up with humor, this book is a must for people studying wilderness survival. He separates the "SURVIVAL" from "PRIMITIVE LIVING". A good beginners book to readers that have more experience all readers can learn from Cody. Everyone that ventures out into the wilderness can gain from his instruction.

:: vcsar 18:15 [+] ::
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I have been asked many times to prepare a GPS training course for our Search and Rescue teams. Time permitting I intend to do just that, but in the mean time I ran across an article on the web by Jack W. Peters that is very good.

Link: http://www.gpsnavigatormagazine.com/gps_navigation_training/gps_training_education.htm

:: vcsar 10:16 [+] ::
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If you have comments about this blog or its contents please email me at fisher_ted22@hotmail.com

Also note the VCSAR Guestbook and open forum on our VCSAR webpage: http://www.dvcema.org/VCSAR.htm

If you know of other Search and Rescue Blogs email the link to me.

Thanks

:: vcsar 08:38 [+] ::
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Critical Initial Search Operations......

Many searches could be solved quicker if in the first few minutes of a lost person incident a few tracking resources and considerations were implemented. Tracking used early can determine a Direction of Travel, a most critical element of search planning, especially if only limited resources are available. Unfortunately in most cases tracking resources are rarely used or worse yet never used. And then when they are implemented it may be to late due to time-distance gap and a contaminated PLS(Point Last Seen).

:: vcsar 11:51 [+] ::
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"Scenario Planning" as a Search Strategy
Previously I discussed "Scenario Planning" used with preplanning search missions, now I would like to mention using "Scenario Planning" as a means to facilitate search strategies during an actual search mission.

More often than not responders to a search mission start at the PLS(Point Last Seen) and radiate outward from this location. If your timeline for this search is short; in other words the subject has not been missing very long, this approach may be the one to pursue. But when the subject has been missing for some time or the subject may have a mode of travel that extends the time distance gap it may not be a viable means to an efficient search strategy. We may opt to take a scenario based approach to deploying our resources. This approach will take some "Scenario Planning" techniques to accomplish.

Consider a subject that is missing and his mode of travel ranges from ambulatory to motorized cart. scenarios must be created for travel routes(line of drift) that fit with the modes of travel. Your search strategy may not include searching interstate highway travel routes since the subject could be traveling in their motorized cart. Realistically could a subject go somewhere for whatever reasons that does not fit the modes of travel in this sample case ;yes; will areas be searched that do not fit the scenarios, yes eventually when resources are available, but the key is to fit your best resources with the most logical and efficient search plan and in a rapid deployment mode (it is essential to find the missing subject as quickly as possible). NOTE: will lost or missing subjects always fit in the statistical patterns and scenarios that are developed, I can guarantee you from experience NO! Statistics are guidelines usually based on historical records, and all scenarios may not fit what actually took place.

So after the scenarios are developed and areas to be searched are identified assign your resources and initiate the search, keeping in mind that you may have to adjust your strategy or add new scenarios as you go. When using scenario based strategies there will be areas that are not covered initially in your search map, note those for they may be added later with new information that comes in or more resources become available.

VCSAR members, If you are interested in learning more about Scenario Based strategies, let me know. For others take a good Search and Rescue Planning class or experiment with a table-top Search Exercise using Scenario Planning.

All the while you are working your mission your search management team must be documenting your activities, your search may go on for an extended period of time or you may need the documentation for court.

:: vcsar 13:09 [+] ::
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"Scenario Planning" as a Search and Rescue Tool.
Scenario based planning has been around for some time, but should be investigated by Search and Rescue teams as a preplanning tool as well as a mission tool. Several approaches to "Scenario Planning" can be found over the internet and many books have been written (mostly business related) so I am not going to go into great detail here about it. But I will attempt to describe some of the concepts and try to relate them to Search and Rescue in this post as well as future posts.

What is Scenario Planning:
Basically it is the perception of events going on around you, and it helps in the preparation of reactive plans to these changing events. It focuses less on forecasting and more on event changing models. You have reaction plans(or perspectives) instead of one plan, you should wind up with a broad spectrum of plans instead of one plan that may fail due to changing events beyond your control. In Search and Rescue as well as other areas we as planners have to broaden our horizons of thinking and not use just linear or sequential thought but we have to become more proficient with lateral, multidimensional, and whole brain (visual) thinking in preparing our plans.

For example:
Consider a Response Plan formulated by many Search and Rescue teams. " a lost child 2 years old, Communications contacts SAR leader, leader contacts the SAR communications officer and notifies SAR personnel. Sar personnel are instructed to go to staging area [ B ] " this is a simplistic Response plan and yours may vary, but what happens to the plan when some of the variables change? SAR leader is unavailable, The SAR pager system is down, The SAR team is training out of the area, etc. by defining these variables, scenarios can be formulated and contingencies can be planned for, your possible scenarios have driven a multi dimensional way of thinking about your response plan. To often Search planners either plan for worst case or perfect conditions and totally forget everything in between we then wind up running the mission "by the seat of your pants" method which is not only un professional but dangerous.

I will post more on Scenario Planning and Visual thinking models and simulations later.

:: vcsar 11:56 [+] ::
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Reality Check
I am attempting to re-direct and change all of my training to a more reality based approach, I feel that this will give you a better training product and help you more than just concentrating on the theory. If you have special needs or desires and ideas let me know.

Thanks

:: vcsar 09:13 [+] ::
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