SEARCH TACTICS COURSE OUTLINE/NEW RECRUIT TRAINING

1. Why is a search an Emergency?
    a) Elements
    b) Injury?
    c) Prevent injury or death
    d) Limited life of clues

2. Preliminary Phase-Information gathering
    a) Name, age, address, physical and clothing description
    b) Point last seen, destination and how long overdue
    c) Track info, scent articles and photo
    d) Subject profile, investigation and interviews
    e) Condition of subject, area knowledge
    f) Analyze: terrain and weather factors

3. Types of searches
    a) Wilderness
    b) Urban
    c) Combined areas
    d) Evidence
    e) Out of County missions

4. Who we most often look for:
    a) Hikers and Mountain bikers
    b) Children
    c) Alzheimer's and elderly dementia patients
    d) Developmentally disabled people

5. Types of searching:
    a) Passive
    b) Hasty
    c) Area
    d) Grid
    e) Investigation

6. Passive searching/Confinement

You have a mobile subject/Initial stages or night operations
    a) Trail, road blocks and road patrol
    b) Posters/news media
    c) Attraction: camp fires, siren/PA, code 3 lights
    d) String lines/ track traps

7. Hasty searching

Rapid search of probable areas
    a) Fire roads
    b) Trails
    c) Creeks and major drainage's
    d) High hazard areas and black holes
    e) Door to door

8. Area searching

Subject that's likely down-last resort
a) Smaller drainage's
b) Ridge tops
c) AREA searching: Using sweeps with spacing 10 to 100ft apart depending on terrain, may involve 4 to 8 searchers to search an area up to 1/2 a square mile in several hours.
d) Critical spacing (SEE TRAINING SHEET)
e) Old way: Grid line 100's of untrained searchers 5ft apart and march!! Result: all clues were trampled and it took hours to search only a small area.

9. What are we looking for??? Clues!!!

1 subject vs. thousands of clues
    a) Most common clues: tracks or sign, scent, visual sightings
    b) Other clues: trash (don't get carried away), clothing, other

10. Responding to missions:
    a) Be responsible and attentive to SAR call-outs
    b) Be ready to write when you call in. Leave yes/no and your name.
    c) Have your equipment ready at all times, your comfort in the field and maybe your life depend on it.
    d) Carry a good map of Marin County, know park HQ locations
    e) Most often you will respond directly to ICP
    f) Obey traffic laws
    g) Use caution when driving at night

11. Once on scene:
    a) Sign in and fill out T-card
    b) Help set up ICP
    c) Check your equipment
    d) Receive briefing, review search area
    e) Stay in staging and be ready to deploy

12. Getting ready for your assignment
    a) Review assignment and map carefully. Evaluate
        -Distance to travel
        -Altitude gain and loss
        -Topography
        -Hazards
        -Pick up point
        -Communications problems
        -Water in your search area
        -Map sufficient for your needs
        - Possible change in weather/Day to night while in the field
    b) Equipment needs
        -Is your pack sufficient for unexpected night out in search area? If you find victim? 
        -Do you have sufficient food and water.
        -Proper clothing.
        -Check radio for proper operation, spare battery and chest harness.
        -Check out GPS unit, it can be very helpful in unfamiliar areas.
        -Check out a medical kit if you a First Responder or EMT
        -Be sure you have a HELMET
        -You must wear a Orange vest, uniform shirt or jacket
    c) Starting Assignment
        -Orient map to North and surrounding area.
        -Go in-service on radio.

13. How to search
    a) Look for clues!!!
    b) Look up and back every few minutes
    c) voice calls then listen every several minutes
    e) Check for tracks leaving trail or road
    f) Check for tracks in track friendly areas
    g) Track traps (DEMONSTRATION)
    h) Trail interviews (SEE TRAINING SHEET)
    i) Wander in purposeful manner
    j) Look behind logs, bushes-be noisy
    k) Put yourself in missing persons shoes, were would you go?

14. KEEPING THE FAITH-positive mental attitude
    a) Keep focused on searching-you are working for victim
    b) Avoid conversation off topic of search
    c) Expect to find subject behind next bush or rock
    d) can be challenging, fatigue, hungry, sore, wet, mentally challenging search
    e) Watch what you say-family and press may be listening
    f) Media-what not to say, direct to PIO

15. Organization
    a) ONE TEAM LEADER- let them do there job
    b)   Always stay together!!!!!!
    c) Keep in sight of each other, never out of voice range!
    d) Log what you did on map, clues, hazards, other
    e) Must wear colors
    f) Work as team, not individuals-be supportive

16. Process clues

    a) Never handle or touch possible evidence-disturb crime scene, secure and deny entry.
    b) If search clue-mark location with grid tape, mark map and report to ICP. If requested to pick up do not handle, may disturb scent. place it in paper bag and return to base for positive I.D.
 

17. Exploit clues!

    a) Systematically look for more clues, do repeated voice calls
    b) Order more resources
        -Scent dogs to clue
        -Order more ground teams to assist with area search
        -Helo to over fly clue area
        -For prints, request tracking board
    c) Alter assignment to follow clues, advise ICP

18. You have a find
    a) Plan A-Alive and well
        -Plan B-Injured
        -Plan C-Deceased
    b) Report on conditions or size up
        -Number of patients
        -Basic condition of patient
        -Scene situation
        -Location
    c) Assume Command "Team 1714 assuming Northside trail Command"
    d) Delegate assignments:
        -Medical
        -Rescue planning
        -Finding best route out
    e) Order resources-people and equipment
    f) Establish staging area

19. Searcher Safety
    a) Be sure to get safety briefing at ICP
    b) Review your assignment and weigh your teams abilities and equipment. Factors may include:
        -Endurance
        -Training
        -Experience
        -Leadership
        -Difficulty of assignment
    c) Always evaluate your risk exposure in the field.
    d) Obey the instructions of your supervisor.
    e) Make others in you team aware of hazards you see.
    f) Pay attention to the health of others on your team.
    g) Would you be ready if:
Team member of team gets hypothermia
Team becomes disoriented and lost
Unable to contact ICP or other teams on the radio
Team member falls and injures himself, needs a rescue
Your map makes no scene at all due to poor quality
Situation arises that requires you to spend the night out
The sole of your boot comes off on a remote assignment
You make the find, but cannot contact anyone on the radio
h) The above situations do happen. Planning and being prepared can help prevent them or better prepare you to do deal with a situation when it arises.

20. Missing person profiles
    a) Hikers
        -Often lost due to not expecting night to fall so quickly
        -Poorly equipped
        -Often attempt cross county route
    b) Mountain Bikers
        -Travel long distances
        -Large Search area
        -Rapid hasty search important due to high probability of injury.
    c) Children
        -Ages 1-5 likely to wander, found close to PLS
        -Do not have the concept of danger
        -Ages 5-12 may intentionally leave
        -Higher probability of foul play
        -All children searches should have high focus on investigation. When searching, put yourself in child's mind.
        -Door to door may be hiding/may not answer to voice calls
    d) Dementia of Alzheimer's type (D.A.T.)
        -Like children, no concept of danger
        -May behave similar to children
        -Higher probability of death or injury
        -Often  will be found in 1/4 mile from PLS
        -High focus on investigation
        -24 stores, door to door
        -Higher probability of down/unresponsive subject
    e) Developmentally Disabled
        -Wide variation depending on severity of disability
    f) Suicidal missing subjects
        -Focus on investigation, determine probable method
        -Evaluate searcher safety
        -Often found in high, open areas with view
    g) Mushroom and Berry pickers
        -Often poorly equipped and very lost
        -May travel long distances
        -Activity takes them off trail

21. Out of County missions
    a) Respond to SAR facility
    b) Be prepared for extended stays
    c) Bring overnight equipment
    d) Double check mutual aid gear list in SAR cache
    e) Members may be screened by Search Manager depending on type of mission to ensure safety and that highly qualified people are responding.

22. Types of resources
    -Trained field searchers -Made all but 1 of the finds in the last three years.
    -Air scent Dogs -excellent for clearing large areas. Dogs may also search for victims underwater, cadavers and            may be specially trained in disaster work.
    -Trailing Dogs-excellent for Urban searches, known PLS.
    -Mounted Posse-excellent for hasty search, long distance assignments.
    -Helicopters-Great hasty search tool in open areas.
    -Fixed Wing aircraft-Same as Helo, better endurance
    -Trackers
    -Road Patrol
    -Investigators
    -FBI
    -Overhead Management
    -Technical Search teams
    -Technical Rescue teams
    -Dive Teams

TERMS:

R/P Reporting party
IC Incident commander
PLS Point last seen
LKP Last Known Point
POD Probability of detection
POA Probability of area
BASARC Bay Area Search and Rescue Council
45 Marin Civic Center Sheriff's Office
82 Hamilton Facility
COMM Communications
OES Office of Emergency Services, We have both a State and County.
PIO Press information officer
ICP Incident Command Post

Prepared by Michael St. John