TRAINING :: Topics

There are many skills that must be developed and maintained to ensure our safety and success in our missions. The individual training topics are listed below.

Basic Search Functions

Our first and foremost function is to look for people who are lost. While it is the goal of every search to find everyone we are searching for, it is often the small clues that lead us to our victims. Learning what clues to look for and how to interpret them is critical to our function as searchers.

We are called on from time to time to aid in the search for evidence of a crime. Our training encompasses evidence handling and how to secure a scene until law enforcement personnel can process area.

Search methods (line searches, hasty searches, ...) are just as important as attention to detail. The method in which an area is searched can have a huge impact the probability of detection (POD) of what/who we are looking for. Search methods are continually practiced to ensure the proficiency of each team member and the team as a whole.

Land Navigation

Knowing where you are and where you want to go is not only a requirement in the field, but also necessary for research, planning, and preparation before heading out on training or on a mission. There are many tools that can help a searcher navigate their designated area.

There is no doubt that GPS units have taken most of the work out of land navigation. At the push of a button a person can determine where they are, what their elevation is, and even what direction and distance it is to a desired point.

Despite the convenience of GPS units, the use of a map and compass is still practiced extensively. Many of the areas a searcher may find themselves in may have minimal view of the satellites needed for a GPS unit to function, or no view at all.

Tracking

Many people say that tracking is an art, others say that it is a skill. Either way, the ability to follow clues a victim left behind is integral to a searcher's activities. The ability to track the movements of the person you are looking for can greatly decrease the amount of time it takes to locate the victim. Instead of searching several square miles, tracking the victim can reduce the area that needs to be searched and the manpower required to search it.

There is much more to tracking than just following footprints. Following clues that nature provides can make the difference between staying on a victim's trail and loosing where they went. There are many factors that can help or hinder a searcher's ability to follow a victim's trail. Time of day, weather, and natural surroundings are all important considerations when trying to track someone.

Technical Rescue Techniques

Once you have found your way to your victim, you need to be able to get to them and get them out of harms way. Whether they are stuck in a crevice or half way down a cliff, the rescuer has to be able to safely extract them from their situation. This can involve using rope systems and helicopters to get the victim to safety.

Technical rescue skills are highly perishable and require constant practice and development.

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