EMS,
You bring up a lot of issues here.
Ground SAR in North America and the way we do business was changed forever due to one case.
"The Andy Warburton Story - summer 1986
Tragedy often precipitates change. In the summer of 1986 another child, nine-year old Andrew Warburton, became lost in the woods outside Halifax. Andy and his family from Ontario were visiting friends and family in Nova Scotia. Within hours a search was begun for young Andy that would come to included more than 5,000
volunteers combing the woods, making it the largest ground search in Canadian history. Despite a large scale effort, his discovery was too late and young Andy Warburton died in the woods. The Team came to understand some of the shortcomings of the Nova Scotia Ground Search & Rescue program when it became necessary to effectively conduct a large, multi-team, technically difficult search. Clearly, changes were required in order to elevate the level of service that the Provincial program was delivering.
Shortly after the Warburton search, Ron Marlow, the Team's training officer, introduced the concepts of Search Management to the Team, based upon a curriculum developed by the National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR). This initial introduction to Search Management, combined with a visit to the Team from two NASAR instructors in 1987, was the impetus for Team members to seek out training which would forever change how search and rescue operations would be undertaken by the Team.
In 1988, Ken Hill and Mike MacKenzie took the initiative to bring Jim O'Brien, then Education Officer for NASAR, to Nova Scotia to conduct a, "Managing the Search Function," workshop. Ken and Mike brought the proposal to bring a NASAR instructor to the Team where the response was mixed; old-guard feet-dragging versus new-guard enthusiasm. Don Bower took over the difficult chore of chairing a committee that would select students for the main course, as well as those who would attend the instructor's course. The RCMP paid for the course and sent three members to attend; Jim Couse, Everett Densmore, and Archie Mason.
As a result of this training, and a commitment to Search and Rescue, instructors from the Team have trained and certified, through NASAR, search management personnel throughout North America. Of particular note were the efforts of Ken Hill who wrote and edited NASAR's updated search Management program entitled, Managing the Lost Person Incident (MLPI). Ken also became a faculty instructor for NASAR, teaching the course and certifying instructors throughout North America, including at least 20 States. The publishing of this internationally recognized training manual, combined with ongoing research and training, represents a lasting tribute to the memory of Andrew Warburton. Currently three Canadian Search and Rescue specialists are authorized to teach the MLPI Instructor ("Train the Trainer") course - all are members of Halifax Regional Search and Rescue."
The above case study is now taught through NASAR and is used world wide as "How not to run a search effort"
Things have changed for the better both in Canada and the US since. However, there are still issues that need resolving like federal and regional politics within police forces, emergency responce providers, SAR teams, States and Provinces. It is better but there is still a ways to go. Standardization and juristictional issues are the big problems still.
This recently came to light during Katrina. FEMA had to answer some serious questions as to why the Vancouver, Canada HUSAR team (1,000's of miles away) was the first to arrive in New Orleans when there were a dozens of US teams not yet deployed to the disaster zone.
If you have not read the full Warburton Case (I think you have) I recommend it and the resulting book "Managing the Lost Person Incident" Available through NASAR. It is a sad and sobering story.
Still problems to overcome but as you say we try to learn from our own and others mistakes.
"So others may live"
Skam
