Mark your calendars....
This is a short list (so far), but these are the SAR conferences for which I've been able to find dates for 2011. Others have yet to be announced.
Know of a SAR conference not listed here? Please let us know in the comments section.
NASAR Conference
Where: Sparks, NV
When: June 2-4
Website: http://www.nasar.org/nasar/conferences.php?id=161
Shephard's Search & Rescue Conference
Where: Bournemouth, UK
When: April 13-14
Website: http://www.shephard.co.uk/events/65/search-and-rescue-2011/
Arizona State SAR Conference
Where: Heber, AZ
When: April 15 -17 (Dates have been changed!)
Website: http://www.trsar.org/ (no information has been posted yet)
Arizona SAR K9-CON
Where: Flagstaff, AZ
When: April 28 - May 1
Contact: Cindy McArthur at mcfuzzykids@msn.com for more information
(Added: See: The Arizona K-9 Search and Rescue Conference for photos and video from this successful event.)
Washington State Search & Rescue Conference
Where: Cowlitz County Regional Event and Exposition Center
When: May 20-22
Website: http://sarconwa.org/
International Tech Rescue Symposium
Where: Fort Collins, CO
When: Nov. 3-6
Website: http://www.itrsonline.org/index.html
K-9 SAR, Mounted SAR... Raven SAR?
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| Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons |
We all know about SAR dogs. And we know that searchers ride horses in the field, and that horses themselves have a knack for finding people. But Search & Rescue ravens?
Absolutely, says doctoral student Emily Cory. And she's got her pet raven, Shade, to prove it. When Shade showed signs of extreme intelligence, Emily decided to train him in the art of hide-and-seek in hopes of assisting search and rescue teams.
Emily grew up in Sedona, Arizona, where she would often hear helicopters flying over, searching for lost hikers. As an adult, Emily worked with birds at the Arizona-Sonora Museum, where a common raven caught her attention. She says, “[The raven] would play horrible tricks on the volunteers, she’d get in so much trouble. She never forgot a thing, never missed a thing [and] that really got my attention.”
So, Emily purchased Shade and began to train the bird to look for lost hikers by using elaborate games of hide-and-seek, while writing her Master’s thesis on the project. Shade demonstrated an uncanny knack for finding anything Emily would hide, sometimes looking in places Emily never thought to hide the objects. She also noticed that Shade understood verbal commands.
Emily Cory hopes to train Shade to work in the back country, flying back and forth between hiker and trainer with a GPS attached to his foot. But, as of yet, no colleagues or professors have agreed to support this research. Nonetheless, Emily has begun a Ph.D. program at the University of Arizona focusing on ravens and language.
Read: Someday This Raven May Come To The Rescue
Listen to the story on NPR
More Search and Rescue Reading
In the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing, Susannah Charleson clipped a photo from the newspaper: an exhausted K9 handler, face buried in the fur of his search-and-rescue dog. A dog-lover and pilot with SAR experience herself, Susannah was so moved by the image she decided to volunteer with a local canine team and soon discovered firsthand the long hours, nonexistent pay, and often heart-wrenching results they face.
Still she felt the call, and once she qualified to train a dog of her own, Susannah adopted Puzzle, a strong, bright Golden Retriever puppy who exhibited unique aptitude as a working dog but who was less interested in the role of compliant house pet. Puzzle's willfulness and high drive, both assets in the field, challenged even Susannah, who had raised dogs for years.
Scent of the Missing
is the story of Susannah and Puzzle's adventures together and the close relationship they forge as they search for the lost--a teen gone missing, an Alzheimer's patient wandering in the cold, signs of the crew amid the debris of the space shuttle Columbia disaster. From the earliest air-scent lessons to her final mastery of whole-body dialog, Puzzle emerges as a fully collaborative partner in a noble enterprise that unfolds across the forests, plains, and cityscapes of the Southwest. Along the way, Susannah and Puzzle learn to read the clues in the field and in each other, to accomplish together the critical work neither could do alone and to unravel the mystery of the human/canine bond.Susannah Charleson is a member of MARK-9, a canine search and rescue team based in Dallas, Texas. Flying SAR and crime scene photography for local law enforcement led Susannah, a flight instructor and commercial pilot, to join the team.
Another recommended SAR book is Mountain Responder
by Steve Achelis, who, as a member of Salt Lake County Search and Rescue Team, participated in hundreds of rescues that frequently made the evening news.In a review in the July, 2010, issue of Mountain Rescue Magazine, SAR volunteer and ski patroler Julie Harrell writes, "Steve recreates each story starting with a pager message which is generally not a correct relay of information. Two missing hikers could morph into three Korean climbers who fell down a snow covered slide and are stuck in a snow cave, hoping for rescue while a blizzard rages outside. We follow him as he trudges through dangerous avalanche country, treats many fallen victims, uncovers seemingly innocuous injuries only to discover that they are life-threatening, and teaches us how to be better rescuers through his assumptions, successes and near mistakes. He collaborates, leads, follows, honors and shares everything with his rescue team, giving each of them a lot of personal credit throughout the book."
Mountain Responder
is available on Amazon.
So Many Skills, So Little Time (To Get Rusty)
Now that I'm home in Arizona after three months in Nepal and getting back to SAR, I realize how rusty I am at a number of skills after not using them while I was away. I'm sure as I practice and review, what I feel like I've forgotten will come back fairly quickly. But on one recent mission, I found myself hesitating and really having to think about what I was doing when it came to certain skills that had been--or at least were becoming--more second nature before I left. It just goes to show that SAR work involves a lot of ongoing training and practice, and we can't take those skills for granted if we don't use them for a while.
So I was thinking about all the learning I've done since getting involved with SAR three years ago:
There have been important details like learning to attach the wheel to the litter, how to properly secure the ATVs to the trailer, how to estimate probability of detection. And the list goes on. Heck, I think I've learned more in three years of SAR than I did in five years of college. At least, more practical, hands-on skills.
So what's the point of this post? Oh, just sharing my thoughts as I get back up to speed after a few months away and then continue to learn and practice. And I would say to any new or prospective SAR member, search and rescue skills aren't something you learn once and then use now and again when you go on a mission. You really need to put the time in to practice, both on your own and as a team, on an ongoing basis, even if there are no missions for a while. Otherwise, you could find yourself on a real mission not remembering how to perform some important skills and therefore becoming more of a hindrance than a help.
Our team requires each member to participate in certain General SAR skills trainings (i.e., GPS, map and compass, ATV operation, truck and trailer training, etc.) once every three years, but that's assuming we're practicing on our own and during missions in between. As far as our technical rescue team goes, we have to pass a basic skills test each year. What about your team (if you're on one)?
So I was thinking about all the learning I've done since getting involved with SAR three years ago:
- Man-tracking
- Alternative navigation (things like using the stars, sun, and moon, pacing and reading terrain)
- Map and compass
- GPS
- ATV operation
- Snowmobile and snowcat operation
- Knot-tying
- Rappelling and ascending
- Anchor systems
- Lowering and raising systems for technical rescue
- Patient packaging
- Backcountry medical skills (Wilderness First Responder)
- Mid-face pick-offs
- Belaying
- Rigging the litter for technical rescue
- Truck and trailer training
- Winch operation and safety
- Helicopter safety
- The National Incident Management System (NIMS training)
- Alzheimer's and Dementia Patient Search
There have been important details like learning to attach the wheel to the litter, how to properly secure the ATVs to the trailer, how to estimate probability of detection. And the list goes on. Heck, I think I've learned more in three years of SAR than I did in five years of college. At least, more practical, hands-on skills.
So what's the point of this post? Oh, just sharing my thoughts as I get back up to speed after a few months away and then continue to learn and practice. And I would say to any new or prospective SAR member, search and rescue skills aren't something you learn once and then use now and again when you go on a mission. You really need to put the time in to practice, both on your own and as a team, on an ongoing basis, even if there are no missions for a while. Otherwise, you could find yourself on a real mission not remembering how to perform some important skills and therefore becoming more of a hindrance than a help.
Our team requires each member to participate in certain General SAR skills trainings (i.e., GPS, map and compass, ATV operation, truck and trailer training, etc.) once every three years, but that's assuming we're practicing on our own and during missions in between. As far as our technical rescue team goes, we have to pass a basic skills test each year. What about your team (if you're on one)?
TrailNote: A Free Online Alert System For The Outdoors
What you do is register (for free) on TrailNote.com, name your trip, provide a travel description, give a start time and end time, and mark your destination on a digital map. You also enter the email or text message addresses of people you would like to notify in case you do not return in time.
When you do return, you can use a computer or web-enabled cell phone to cancel your TrailNote. TrailNote.com will provide a warning if you forget. In the event you don't return, TrailNote will automatically message everyone that you selected. The message will contain a link to TrailNote.com and provide your contacts with the details of your trip--where you were going, the map information, and your contact information from your profile.
I asked the webmaster of TrailNote.com a few questions, and here's what he said:
Q: Can you tell me who started this site and why?
A: The site was created by Richard Visokey and Brandon Price. The original concept of TrailNote came after reading an article about Aron Ralston, who became famous in 2003 when he was forced to amputate his lower right arm with a dull knife to free himself after his arm became trapped by a boulder when he was mountaineering in Utah . One of the main reasons Aron's situation became so tragic was that he did not inform anyone where he was going and remained trapped for days. Additionally, we were reminded of the concept every time we would hear a report about a missing hiker making the news, which happened quite frequently.
The connection between the majority of the missing person reports was that the hikers were not leaving notes or plans of their trips. No one knew where they were going.
We both felt that there must be a better way to keep people informed when you go out, and TrailNote was the solution.
Q: I realize it's a free site for users, but people may be interested to know how you fund it.
A: All expenses are paid by us with no plans to charge users a fee.
Q: Do you have any stories to share about users who've been rescued due to a TrailNote?
We don't, and that is the truly great thing about TrailNote. With the detailed notes that are created, when an adventurer does not return in time, people are usually able to locate the missing person on their own, usually with just a phone call, with the TrailNote information provided. This doesn't mean that people are putting themselves at risk wandering the wilderness looking for missing people, but it means that the information a TrailNote provides allows people to locate an individual quickly and safely.
This also means SAR teams, the authorities, and the Forest Service save resources and time by only being notified of a missing hiker when an individual is truly missing. Additionally, they are also handed the TrailNote, giving them the detailed information. Now rescue services have a far better understanding of what type of rescue they are dealing with. This results in a quicker response time, increased safety to everyone involved, and less cost per rescue.
Q: What about someone failing to report in when they've returned, even though they DID return? Any comments or stories about that type of situation?
A: TrailNote has safeguards to help prevent false alerts, but it still happens. However, unlike EPRB or other electronic systems, TrailNote has a human element behind it. When an alert goes out to the user's contact list, it typically results in only a quick phone call or text message to determine if the user simply forgot to turn off the alert or if an emergency exists.
Q: Many of the SARStoriesNews readers are Search & Rescue professionals (volunteer and paid), so I'm sure they'll be interested to learn about this site. May they contact you if they have questions?
A: We are always eager to talk about TrailNote as we are very proud of the system we created. If any of your readers have additional questions, do not hesitate to direct them to us. We will always take the time to answer any question and take suggestions about the service.
For more information, visit About TrailNote.
For more information, visit About TrailNote.
And here's a story from the Phoenix East Valley Tribune about TrailNote: TrailNote.com Sends Out Emergency Alerts
Reverse 911
During a recent mission, our SAR coordinator made use of the Reverse 911 system to contact homeowners in a particular subdivision in the area of the missing subject, to ask them to check around their homes and in their sheds and other out-buildings where the mentally handicapped boy may have been hiding.
Reverse 911 can be used to advise residents in both large and small areas of an emergency or hazard (i.e., a hazardous material spill, a wildfire or flood, etc.), to gather information to help solve a crime, and, as in the case above, to alert them to a missing person search. The system might be used to assemble volunteers or to contact an individual for a welfare check. In addition, Reverse 911 can be used as a community bulletin board of sorts and even for automatic faxing of information or instructions to certain people or local businesses. It can also be used to reconnect to a phone that was disconnected during an emergency call.
The Reverse 911 system uses a database of phone numbers and addresses combined with mapping technology, allowing emergency and law enforcement personnel to pinpoint a specific area or individual/s. At this time, however, cell phone numbers and Voice Over Internet (VoIP) services such as Vonage or others offered by cable companies are not in the system. Some TTY (TeleTYpewriter) numbers may be in the Reverse 911 database, but emergency services don't know which phone numbers are TTY compatible. So if you don't have a land line but would like to be contacted on your cell, VoIP, or TTY phone, you have to register your number within your county or city. The system can deliver text messages to TTY and TDD devices, so those who are deaf or hard of hearing can receive the Reverse 911 alerts. You should also register if you have an unlisted phone number or have recently changed your phone number.
I would suggest doing an online search for Reverse 911 signup and the name of your area. Or you can call your city or county dispatcher. (But don't call 911 to do so, of course!) This is an example of Coconino County, Arizona's signup web page: Ready Coconino.
Here's a great example of how Reverse 9-1-1 can be effectively and successfully used in Search & Rescue operations: Reverse 9-1-1 System Used in Search for 77-Year-Old Woman
Reverse 911 can be used to advise residents in both large and small areas of an emergency or hazard (i.e., a hazardous material spill, a wildfire or flood, etc.), to gather information to help solve a crime, and, as in the case above, to alert them to a missing person search. The system might be used to assemble volunteers or to contact an individual for a welfare check. In addition, Reverse 911 can be used as a community bulletin board of sorts and even for automatic faxing of information or instructions to certain people or local businesses. It can also be used to reconnect to a phone that was disconnected during an emergency call.
The Reverse 911 system uses a database of phone numbers and addresses combined with mapping technology, allowing emergency and law enforcement personnel to pinpoint a specific area or individual/s. At this time, however, cell phone numbers and Voice Over Internet (VoIP) services such as Vonage or others offered by cable companies are not in the system. Some TTY (TeleTYpewriter) numbers may be in the Reverse 911 database, but emergency services don't know which phone numbers are TTY compatible. So if you don't have a land line but would like to be contacted on your cell, VoIP, or TTY phone, you have to register your number within your county or city. The system can deliver text messages to TTY and TDD devices, so those who are deaf or hard of hearing can receive the Reverse 911 alerts. You should also register if you have an unlisted phone number or have recently changed your phone number.
I would suggest doing an online search for Reverse 911 signup and the name of your area. Or you can call your city or county dispatcher. (But don't call 911 to do so, of course!) This is an example of Coconino County, Arizona's signup web page: Ready Coconino.
Here's a great example of how Reverse 9-1-1 can be effectively and successfully used in Search & Rescue operations: Reverse 9-1-1 System Used in Search for 77-Year-Old Woman
Canine Instinct: A SAR Dog Documentary
I recently received an email from filmmaker Nick Goodman about a new documentary he made called Canine Instinct, featuring search dog trainer, Kyle Warren. Kyle is with the Eagle Valley Search Dog Team, based in the Catskills and Upper Delaware River Valley of New York.
Nick Goodman spent several days filming the EV Search Dogs, including following Kyle and his dog, Quax, during some of his customized training sessions and at the Delaware River recovery effort on August 26, 2009. On that day, EV Search Dogs responded to Knight’s Eddy, NY, to help locate Hin Hon Siu, age 36, who had drowned a few days earlier.
April 22, 2010, is the world premiere of Canine Instinct at the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival.
Here is a short clip from the film:
Canine Instinct is also the name of Kyle Warren's dog-training company through which he has trained more than 2,300 dogs. He's the author of the blog, Dog Finds Man, about his adventures with his Search and Rescue German shepherds, Quax and Maya.
Nick Goodman spent several days filming the EV Search Dogs, including following Kyle and his dog, Quax, during some of his customized training sessions and at the Delaware River recovery effort on August 26, 2009. On that day, EV Search Dogs responded to Knight’s Eddy, NY, to help locate Hin Hon Siu, age 36, who had drowned a few days earlier.
April 22, 2010, is the world premiere of Canine Instinct at the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival.
Here is a short clip from the film:
Canine Instinct is also the name of Kyle Warren's dog-training company through which he has trained more than 2,300 dogs. He's the author of the blog, Dog Finds Man, about his adventures with his Search and Rescue German shepherds, Quax and Maya.
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