Basic SAR OPS General Skills and New Member Orientation

Transcription

1 Basic SAR OPS General Skills and New Member Orientation LA PLATA COUNTY SEARCH AND RESCUE On-Line Version 2015 Long / Brueckner

2 Overview An overview of La Plata County SAR Team Mission Call-Out / Paging procedures Personal Responsibilities Working with other responders Different Incidents: Search vs Rescue and more! Helicopter Safety Personal Preparedness, Equipment and new Technology

3 La Plata County SAR Consists of around 80 volunteers Many are members of other rescue agencies and guide companies Some are experts in backcountry rescue who train other SAR groups around the world About 30% of our members do not go into the field. They support, organize and manage.

4 LPCSAR s Role Within The County La Plata County Search and Rescue incorporated in 1981 as a 501-c-3 nonprofit corporation. Prior to this, the Sheriff oversaw SAR duties with available individual volunteers and Sheriff Office staff LPCSAR performs Search and Rescue duties for the Sheriff in La Plata County On missions, SAR volunteers act for and represent the Sheriff of La Plata County

5 Sheriff Designee For Search And Rescue Sheriff Sean Smith has designated Director of Emergency Preparedness, Butch Knowlton, as a Special Deputy Sheriff and given him the rank of Lieutenant in order to carry out the Sheriff statutory duty of Search and Rescue Butch directs SAR activities and oversees La Plata County Search and Rescue volunteers

6 Mission Call-Out Procedure How You Are Notified of a Mission and Your Responsibility We use a Google Texting Program to notify the Team of a mission. You will receive a cell phone text when a mission is starting. LPCSAR Info and Callout Check-in Line (970) PUT THIS NUMBER IN YOUR PHONE SPEED DIAL! You re going to need it!

7 Mission Call-Out Procedure We use a date/time/team convention in the heading of the text: YEAR-MONTH-DAY TIME TEAM: GENERAL MEMBERSHIP The body of the text will contain your instructions: Respond to South Hermosa trailhead for carryout of mountain bike crash. Details to follow. Because of character limitations the message will be abbreviated as necessary: GEN MEN Resp to S Hermosa TH for carryout of mtn bike crash DTF Always check the date and time! Cellular service is not always perfect; the date and time is included because there have been instances when a member received the text hours after a mission has been completed! (970)

8 Mission Call-Out Procedure In the heading after the time stamp, you will notice a Team Designator, in this instance General Membership. Sometimes a special team will be designated to respond. Texts are sent to all team members so everyone knows a mission is underway. This gives you time to prepare for the mission (fill water bottles, check your bash pack, make sure you have spare batteries, etc.). Often, an additional text will be sent requesting additional members to respond. If the Team Designator is, for example, TRRT (Technical Rope Rescue Team) and you are not on that team, DO NOT RESPOND! A list of team abbreviations is on the next slide. (970)

9 Mission Call-Out Procedure Team Abbreviations: Winter Response Team Technical Rope Rescue Team Comm Team General Membership Hasty Team Mountain Bike Team Swift Water Team K-9 Dog Team Sub-Terrain Team Moto WRT TRRT COMM T GEN MEM HT MB SW K-9 SUBT MOTO (970)

10 Mission Call-Out Procedure CALL the Google Check-in Line or TEXT back? If at all possible, please CALL the Google number and leave a voice mail. If you TEXT in, your text message adds one more layer in the Google inbox for the Comm Team to manage. LPCSAR Info and Callout Check-in Line (970)

11 Mission Call-Out Procedure What to do: STAND BY Stand by means a mission is underway but we do not have sufficient details to deploy teams. STAND BY is your heads-up. Get ready. Fill water bottles, check your bash pack, change out of your cotton clothes, etc. Where to go: RESPOND Respond means proceed to IC, trailhead, staging area the place the text directed you to go. Details to Follow - DTF When a mission begins, we have very limited details about the mission. The primary goal is to get you out the door and on your way to the trailhead. As details of the mission are received you will be updated. Please do not call in and ask for details. You ll get updates when we get them. (970)

12 Mission Call-Out Procedure Test Text Pages A test text / page will be sent out every Sunday at 2 PM. Do not respond to the test page. If you did not get the test page, contact a comm team member or officer. LPCSAR Info and Callout Check-in Line (970)

13 Mission Call-Out Procedure SUMMARY If a specific team is called out and you are not on that team do not respond. If a specific team is called out and you are not on that team this is your heads-up. You may be texted to respond later. If you can respond call the Google number and respond. If you cannot respond do not call the Google number. (970)

14 Your Personal Responsibility Always act with safety in mind Act within your abilities Do not become a liability Maintain your training and certifications Know your limits Take care of: 1. Yourself 2. Your Team 3. Your subject / patient Always watch out for the safety and well being of your team Don t be afraid to speak up if something isn t right! Remember the chain of command: Team members Team Leader LPCSAR Officer / Incident Command Communicate across your team mates and up to your immediate supervisor

15 Your Responsibility To The Community Working under the Sheriff carries duty and responsibility to the community Respond with a sense of calm urgency Save time by being prepared Do not break traffic laws getting to the scene Tempers, attitudes and foul language do not have a place on the team

16 Your Responsibility To The Community Do not post details of a search, rescue or recovery on Facebook, Twitter, blogs or other forms of social media Do not represent yourself as a member of LPCSAR when responding to blogs, posts or news articles Being on LPCSAR means that you are a role model in our Community If you find something online that negatively impacts LPCSAR, report it to our officers.

17 The Approach We train to take calculated risks to arrive at a calculated outcome Organized investigation process Organized Command and Operations system Organized internal and external communications system Sometimes using scientific calculations based on engineered specifications for equipment

18 Working With Others We may assist Law Enforcement or another SAR group here or in neighboring communities We must maintain our relationships with other groups We train and cooperate with our partners regularly LPCSAR has at times been asked to assist during emergencies and disasters like wildfires, flooding and transportation accidents. If you encounter a problem with another agency or member of another agency, inform a LPCSAR officer.

19 Five Kinds of Incidents Search May extend over larger area We have to use available information and experience to narrow the search area Many searches initiate due to third party information Rescue Usually a medical call Generally limited to smaller area or known location Recovery Mutual Aid Requires special handling of incident and a certain comfort level Assisting other agencies or jurisdictions Self or Assisted Resolution A call is initiated but is resolved on their own or by assistance through phone or radio

20 Anatomy Of A Search Stage I Stage II Someone gets lost or is overdue SAR coordination is involved Someone informs Dispatch (911 Center) Command is established Call is dispatched to SAR management Resources are located Management deploys A determination is made as to Severity of situation Threat to life Resources are deployed Reliability of information Subject is located Urgency Resources needed

21 Anatomy Of A Rescue or Recovery Stage I Location of subject(s) is established by Stage Interview Locator 911 Cell, GPS, SPOT or PLB Direct communication Search by air or ground Determination is made on best form of extraction II Extraction may be a small or single resource Helicopter 2 or 3 person team EMS or Law Enforcement Extraction may be a team or group effort Special Team General SAR Membership Multi-Agency response

22 Activities In the Year 2014

23 Training and Expertise Specialty Teams Management Communications Technical Rope Rescue/Rigging Hasty Response Regular and Continuous Monthly skills sessions K9 Regular team training Equestrian (LPC Mounted Patrol) Full scale exercises Mountain Bike Outside agency training ATV (LPC Mounted Patrol) Moto Snowmobile (San Juan Sledders) Subterranean Winter Response Swiftwater Community Outreach Helicopter, EMS, Law Enforcement, etc. National level courses for ropes, avalanche and whitewater Medical certification WEMT, WFR, WFA, First Aid

24 Helicopter Safety Before possibly being a passenger on a helicopter, consider the following: You might not be able to be flown out by the helicopter because of changing weather, passenger load or mechanical malfunction. Therefore: ALWAYS carry enough gear with you to be self-sufficient for at least 24 hours. Be prepared to hike out to the closest trail head.

25 Helicopter Safety There is inherent risk in being a passenger in a singleengine helicopter, particularly in the high country at high elevation. Unfortunately, sometimes things go wrong. If you have any questions or concerns, ask your team leader or person in charge before boarding the helicopter. You are not obligated to be on board the helicopter if you do not feel comfortable!

26 Helicopter Safety

27 Helicopter Safety

28 Helicopter Safety

29 Personal Preparedness Things to do Know your physical and mental condition and capabilities Things to have Be familiar with the area you are going into Do not become a team liability! Stay dry to stay alive Warmth 50 deg temperature swings are common First Aid and Survival Gear high calorie, long lasting Rain or Snow Gear Plan for and expect changing conditions more than you think (1L/hr) Food Trails, roads, access, hazards Water Mirror, map, GPS, compass, fire, whistle, common sense! NO COTTON clothing. Cotton kills!

30 Tools of the Trade LPCSAR owns or has access to: Radios and communication VHF radios, 800 MHz, Satellite phone, talk-about UHF radios, cell phone, DeLorme Satellite Communicators Maps and GIS GPS and Compass Transportation Trucks, trailers, horses, other wheeled vehicles Special team equipment Personal gear Medical gear for patient packaging Rescue litters and wheel

31 New Technology Communication Equipment VHF radios 800 MHz radios UHF Handheld radios GPS Handheld units HAM Radios Cell Phones Satellite Phone DeLorme Satellite Communicators More people use GPS capabilities Cell phones Navigation Allows SAR to work at night Provides very precise location

32 In Conclusion Thank you for spending the time and effort studying the previous slides. We hope they were helpful in preparing you for the next field-mission. Please also take a look at the other available training materials on the LPCSAR website, such as the YouTube videos about Land Navigation and Radio Communication. If you have any questions regarding the previous material, feel free to contact any senior team member or officer. Thank you for becoming a team member of La Plata County Search and Rescue! We are glad to have you on board!