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SARNews.com - September 2008 Newsletter
An official publication of Emergency Response International
Published by dbS Productions LLC
In this issue:
Lost Person Behavior Book Available
Hot off the press: a highly anticipated book on lost person behavior, the cornerstone of search and rescue efforts. Based on a landmark study – the International Search and Rescue Incident Database (ISRID) – this book is the definitive guide to solving the puzzle of where a lost person might be found. It presents new and updated subject categories (41 in total), behavioral profiles, current statistics, suggested initial tasks, and specialized investigative questions. Whether the subject is on land, underground, under collapsed rubble, under water or has fallen from the sky, this book delivers what search managers need to find lost subjects faster. It is an essential field guide and reference tool and a fascinating yet practical read for any searcher. The Web site provides extensive information on the book and its contents. Available at www.dbs-sar.com or call 800.745.1581.
Injured Climber Rescued from Snow Cave in New Zealand
Everything fell smoothly into place for this rescue of a mountain climber with a severely broken leg. Search and rescue authorities were alerted to the accident by cell phone from members of the man’s climbing team. Rescuers got the GPS coordinates and sent out a rescue helicopter equipped with night-vision goggles to search through darkness, snow and cloud cover. The injured man and his companion had dug snow caves to protect themselves while they waited for rescue. They also were able to make a splint for the broken leg. The helicopter easily found them after spotting a torch light emanating from snow and brought them to safety.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4650831a11.html
Photos from a Snow Cave Rescue Operation (Washington, US)
See a snow cave rescue in pictures.
http://picasaweb.google.com/bergtrage/DennySnowCave_rescue#How Avalanches Work
Interesting article on how avalanches work, including new research on snow fractures, cavities in the ice and gravity’s pull. Although experienced backcountry enthusiasts may already know how their movements may trigger avalanches, the lead author of the study says his team’s findings suggests what snow properties to look for to anticipate the risk of causing a slab avalanche (the most common and also the most dangerous). Important work improving safety in the field.
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/34015/title/Recipe_for_an_avalanc
First Responders and Domestic Animal Rescues
An article in PS Diver Monthly discusses the importance of public education and specialized training and equipment for rescuing animals from ice and water. The author did research on ice rescue incidents and fatalities in 2006 and 2007 and found that approximately 85% of the incidents were initiated as a result of humans venturing out onto the ice to rescue a pet. The article emphasizes prevention (no ice is “safe ice”), calling 911 rather than attempting to rescue pets, and ice rescue training and equipment for first responders. The complete article can be found in the PS Diver Monthly newsletter at the link below:
http://psdiver.com/images/PSDiver_Monthly_Issue_53-secure.pdf
MyTopo Has Purchased Maptech’s Land Navigation Division
Land navigation software, such as Terrain Navigator, Terrain Navigator Pro, and Mapserver Pro, will now be sold by MyTopo, which will continue to provide support and development of land software products.
http://www.mytopo.com/maptech/maptech-release.cfm
High Visibility Clothing Is Federally Mandated for Emergency Responders
On November 24 2008, a new federal regulation (23 CFR 634) goes into effect mandating that anyone working in the right-of-way of a federal-aid highway must be wearing high-visibility clothing that meets the requirements of ANSI / ISEA 107; 2004 edition class 2 or 3. This requirement will apply to all emergency responders. There is additional information on the Responder Knowledge Base Web site including links to download some of the relevant documents, information concerning ANSI / ISEA 207 Public Safety Vests, exceptions for police officers, and information about proposed rules changes to later expand the law to cover all public roadways.
https://www.rkb.us/contentdetail.cfm?content_id=200647
DHS Publishes New Radio Technicians’ Guide
Does your SAR team already have a radio license for 155.160 or any of the public safety frequencies? Then you are also allowed to use certain mutual aid frequencies. Not a radio person? Fortunately, it is all spelled out in the National Interoperability Field Operations Guide published in March 2008 (version 1.2) by the DHS Office of Emergency Communications. Pages 33-35 address SAR specific issues. A must read for the person who programs the team’s radios. A free download is available, and after much searching, we finally found it at the link below:
http://www.dhhs.state.nc.us/dhsr/EMS/pdf/NIFOG.pdf
FEMA Cuts Disaster Assistance Funding to States
FEMA changed a provision in the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act which allowed states to be reimbursed for costs on a sliding scale. Now reimbursement will be a 3.34 percent flat rate. State emergency managers contend that this change slashes funding FEMA disburses to states through its Public Assistance Grants Program, which is allocated for infrastructure such as roads, government buildings, debris removal, overtime for first responders and sandbagging, and puts significantly greater financial burden on states and localities.
http://disaster- resource.com/newsletter/subpages/v250/newsclip2.htm
National Preparedness Tips for Individuals, Businesses and Communities
September is National Preparedness Month, a nationwide initiative sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security to encourage citizens to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies. This year National Preparedness Month focuses on the four steps of preparedness: get kit, make a plan, be informed, and get involved. Geared toward individuals and businesses.
http://www.ready.gov/america/npm08/index.html
FEMA has also come out with a guide for communities on creating emergency plans. The guide provides emergency managers and other emergency services personnel with recommendations on how to address the entire planning process – from forming a planning team, through writing and maintaining the plan, to executing the plan. It also encourages emergency managers to follow a process that addresses all of the hazards that threaten their jurisdictions through a suite of plans connected to a single, integrated emergency operations plan.
https://www.llis.dhs.gov/docdetails/details.do?contentID=32595
How Prepared Are Businesses?
A new report by New York University ’s Center for Catastrophe Preparedness and Response (CCPR) and The Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI) finds that many US businesses and non-profit organizations are ill prepared to deal with crises, ranging from terrorist attacks to tornadoes to a lack of telephone service. Government agencies were also found to be grossly unprepared, leaving them potentially unable to respond to recovery needs. The report, “Predicting Organizational Crisis Readiness: Perspectives and Practices toward a Pathway to Preparedness,” reviewed literature, analyzed preparedness recommendations, and evaluated leader opinion surveys and found that organizations are caught off guard by disaster because preparedness is not an important part of their business. Crisis plans often don’t exist and when they do, employees are often unaware of their roles. The report recommends that organizations make a commitment to preparedness and give crisis readiness the same budget and priority as other operations.
For the full report online visit PERI at https://www.riskinstitute.org/peri/images/file/POCR- finalreport.pdf or CCPR at http://www.nyu.edu/ccpr/.
Educating Our Kids on Survival: Hug-a-Tree Training Materials
Hug-a-Tree and Survive program teaches children how to survive in the woods should they become lost. The program was developed to educate children in a select few of the most basic and vital survival principles. It was specifically designed for children between the ages of 7 and 11 but can be effective with slightly younger and older children. In addition to the presenter DVD, there are other materials, including a training manual, handout for adults and an activity/coloring book for children, all available from NASAR.
http://www.nasar.org/nasar/hug_a_tree_program.php
Inland SAR Planning Course 2008- 2009 Accepting Applications
The five-day Inland SAR Planning course is a comprehensive look at inland search theory and its application to land and air searches for missing persons and aircraft, with a focus on wilderness searches. The course consists of classroom lessons and practical, tabletop exercises, but no field training. Emphasis is on the planning necessary for effective area-type searching during an extended search using Probability of Success (POS), rather than just a few elements of POC or POD, to predictively allocate limited resources to their best effect. In essence, what to do after the hasty search and specialty resources have not found the missing person. More information about the course, course schedule and application can be found at:
http://www.uscg.mil/tcyorktown/Ops/SAR/Inland/default.asp
Robot Named BigDog Can Go Wherever Humans and Animals Can Go
It’s a dog, it’s a fly, it’s a bizarre creature from a sci-fi horror flick … no, it’s a robot that has articulated legs which enable it to run and climb over rubble all while carrying almost 400 pounds. Worthy research, but humans and animals would probably not like to go where IT goes.
http://www.bostondynamics.com/content/sec.php?section=BigDog
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