Search and Rescue (SAR) Knife Design?

K

knifetester

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Mar 7, 2005
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I had the chance to watch a short presentation by a SAR team today. Interesting stuff.

Does anyone here have any SAR experience?

What training did you recieve, and is it useful in the field?

What equipment do you carry?

What knife work does SAR involve?

What knives do people in your field usually carry?

If you were to design a knife for SAR work, what attributes would you want?

How would your ideal design differ for urban vs. wilderness SAR work?

Thanks in advance, I look forward to your answers. . . .
 
I did a little volunteer SAR with a Bay area group that specialized in mountain and technical rescue. Most of our training involved outings to work on a specific skill such as climbing, technical ropework, recue systems or locating and an EPIRB. Otherwise it was mock searches. A lot of the skill needed is simply being able to stay out on a search for more than 24 hours and not getting lost yourself.
Many of the real searches involved lost hikers and elderly "walkaways" in the local Bay area. Once I did search for a lost climber on Mt Shasta; never found him.
Most SAR folk carry SAKs or multitools. Some carry rescue knives like the Spydercos. No big knives that I have ever seen.
 
I had the chance to watch a short presentation by a SAR team today. Interesting stuff.

Does anyone here have any SAR experience?

I teach SAR to my fire department and other local rescue groups as well as having certifications in SAR from NASAR. I also have certification as a wilderness EMT. I also have experience as a sargent in charge of a scout (recon) squad in the army.

What training did you recieve, and is it useful in the field?

Besides the military experience I also received training from a NASAR instructor. For someone without any experience I would consider it useful. I did it primarily for the certification to open doors.

What equipment do you carry?
Look at the NASAR 48 hour pack. That could be considered a reasonable standard to start from. I don't agree with everything in the list but it is a resonable starting point. I also carry medical gear because of my training.

What knife work does SAR involve?
Just the usual cutting chores usually. If you do rope work then sometimes rope cutting. If your patient is injured cutting off clothing may also be needed.

What knives do people in your field usually carry?
Multi tools, SAK, spydercos

If you were to design a knife for SAR work, what attributes would you want?
I consider my SAK knife and my spyderco endura and spyderco rescue adequate for most anything that I will come across. I also usually have my leatherman wave with me.

How would your ideal design differ for urban vs. wilderness SAR work?
Urban SAR is a totally different animal totally unrelated to wilderness SAR and I wouldn't consider myself qualified to answer.

Thanks in advance, I look forward to your answers. . . .

KR
 
Im not a SAR TECH but I have done 1 high angle rescue where I was required to cut to webbing to release an unexperianced climber from his anchor point in order to lower him from a cliff side. At the time I used a gerber gator with the plain edge. My dad is SAR and he carries a small folder ( Gerber EZ out) and a SAK swiss champ on his side. In his pack he carries a mora knife and a leatherman wave. If you are in a location where you will be cutting alot of rope or webbing you may want a serrated edged blade specifically for that.

Check out this link for a good selection of SAR gear.
http://www.search-rescue.net/nasarinfo.htm
 
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