A public Agency always has legal responsibility for search and rescue
operations. The Agency calls out volunteer groups, either director
through State Department of Emergency Management. Agency should obtain
the Mission Number. Agency provides a representative to be in official
charge at Base camp. The degree of actual control over SAR strategy
will vary from Agency to Agency. Recommendations and requests from
volunteer units are channeled through the Agency.
usually the Agency in charge on any County SAR mission. Some counties
(notably Pierce) have associations of volunteer SAR units which work
closely with a county SAR coordinator from the sheriff's office.
have jurisdiction on searches in their lands, and for military aircraft.
They often provides SAR assistance elsewhere if requested by another
Agency. Coast Guard has jurisdiction in sea missions and will help
elsewhere when possible.
Initial call: obtain as much information as possible from caller
(write down on data sheets). Get name and phone no. of caller,
place and time of report, and travel directions if to an obscure
location. Make tentative plans with caller and obtain mission
number. Determine if immediate response is required.
Contact and dispatch Hasty Team if immediate response is
required. Contact and brief Rescue chairperson if they did not
receive the initial call. Determine urgency of response,
manpower required, rendezvous and time, leadership, and new
In-town coordinator if original goes into field.
Activate rescue members.
Hasty Team (if required) is activated by initial call receiver.
Call out chairperson notified and will report back to Rescue
chairperson within thirty minutes of status of call out.
Rescue chairperson determines if other Mountain Rescue Units
need to be activated for additional manpower and contacts
appropriate Unit(s).
Assist coordination of personnel/equipment at cache. obtain list
of members actually responding.
Notify agency of response (ETA, number of personnel) and receive
last minute updates of search/rescue status.
Notify Pierce County Sheriff's office that Unit is.in service if
they were not the requesting Agency. This may-be delayed until
normal business hours.
by In-Town Coordinator or Rescue Chairperson to be in general
charge of Tacoma personnel in the field on a SAR mission.
Obtain as much information as possible on nature of the mission,
particularly whom to contact (agency), where and when (be sure
of directions).
Planning (discuss with caller at time of notification of
appointment.) Personnel and equipment; time and place of local
rendezvous. Consider urgency of response. Hasty team needed?
At cache finalize personnel list and report to In-Town
Coordinator. Verify that essential equipment is present. Assign
radios to cars for in-transit coordination and detail
destination and route. Dispatch cars.
In transit be alert for recall. If this occurs be sure all
persons en route are notified.
Extended operations may require a replacement O.L. Be sure that
they are well briefed.
Multi-Unit operations: one mountain rescue O.L. represents
Mountain Rescue. O.L.'s of other units may act as assistants or
Field O.L.'s. MRA policy is that Unit receiving initial call
from agency will furnish overall O.L. unless it delegates this
responsibility to another Unit.
Appointed by Base O.L. In charge of team until relieved. Reports
directly to Base O.L. during operation. May report to Field O.L.
if one is used. Do not follow orders of anyone else unless
authorized by Base O.L.
Receive mission assignment from Base O.L. Be sure of
instructions, directions, description of subjects, and other
pertinent information. Write down as much information as
possible. Get team number, radio number and lost communications
procedure. Obtain special codes such as a death code.
Meet assigned team and obtain team member names. Make sure
everyone has signed in at base. Check team capabilities if
members are not known to you. Report to Base O.L. if any members
are not suitable for the team.
Brief team on assignment and mission objectives. Assign team
duties such as medical and communications.
Obtain and assign team equipment: ropes, tents, stoves, first
aid, litter, radios and other items. Verify that all components
are present and operational.
Notify base when team leaves. Keep base advised of status and
location. Monitor radio.
Keep team together unless mission dictates otherwise. Observe
team performance. Rely on a steady pace not a fast erratic one.
Keep a simple log of significant events and radio transmissions.
Log teams position, i.e. UMS coordinates, hourly. Make sure
every team member is aware of navigation.
At the scene, first Team leader arriving is in charge and
supervises all actions (unless instructed otherwise by base).
Other teams do not divert from original assignment until directed
by base.
Injured/ill subject: render appropriate medical aid. Assess
situation and consult with base plan for evacuation.
Deceased subject: secure area and notify base with appropriate
code. Do not touch or moved subject until authorized by base.
Use appropriate precautions to protect against disease.
Find of crime clue: secure area and do not touch object. Notify
base.
Illness or injury of team member may amend objective. Assess
situation and notify base of any change of plans.
Recall to base (mission terminated) should be verified before
acting. There maybe confusion at the conclusion of a mission.
Be alert for changes in plans and monitor radio traffic.
Team Leader has final word, over Base and Field O.L., in matters
affecting safety and security of team members and others under
their protection.
Always refer to the "subject" rather than the "victim".
Base camp "etiquette".
Do not allow team members to occupy agency's base of
operations. Only the Mountain Rescue Base O.L. is authorized
to confer with the agency unless others are specifically
invited, i.e. briefings.
Avoid loose talk. Relatives and friends of the subject
are often in the area. Give no information to the Press.
Refer them to the agency.
Gripes and complaints. You can not please all the people all
of the time. Team Leaders should caution team members not to
complain in public regarding the mission, the agency, or other
SAR units. Problems should be referred to the Base O.L. and
discussed openly at a subsequent critique.
Joint SAR teams. Tacoma Team Leader should determine his
authority in such instances before leaving Base. Often a Tacoma
team will work under an O.L. from another Mountain Rescue unit
and should follow their procedures.
On small operations a Team Leader may fulfill the jobs of Base
and/or Field O.L.
We serve at the pleasure of the agency in charge. We should
always cooperate with other units, not compete.
This position is used when there is a need for direct coordination
of two or more teams in the field, and/or when the area of
operation is quite remote from roads so that an advanced camp is
needed.
Field O.L. is appointed by the Base O.L. and reports to him during
the mission. Field O.L. directs the actions of field teams and
keeps base advised of the status/location of each team. Team
Leaders report to a Field O.L. rather than a Base O.L.
General responsibilities for the Field O.L. are essentially the
same as those for a Team Leader. At the scene the Field O.L.
supervises the evacuation proceedings. Field O.L. can assess
terrain and conditions and recommend strategy to base.
Adopted September 1972
Revised September 1989
