Some of these documents require a PDF document reader.
| Link | Description |
|---|---|
| 2010 ICS Forms Comments | This PDF document, written by David Lovelock, is an attempt to summarize the major differences between the old ICS forms and the new ones released at the end of 2010. Updated 5/20/2011. |
| Arizona Basic Search and Rescue | This is the 2nd edition (dated Feb 5, 2013) of the 200-page PDF document, written and copyrighted by members of the Arizona Search and Rescue Coordinators Association, Ltd. It is an introduction to the basics of searching for missing persons in wilderness environments. It is aimed at members of the public, primarily in Arizona, who are interested in becoming Search and Rescue (SAR) volunteers and also at SAR personnel who are new or inexperienced in searches. This is an introduction only-there is much more to wilderness searches than is presented here. Parts of this manual form the basis of the 16-hour "Introduction to Arizona SAR" course, given by members of the Arizona Search and Rescue Coordinators Association, Ltd., which all AZ SAR volunteers are expected to attend. |
| Find 'Em: A Guide for Planning the Missing Person Incident Response | This is the 4th edition (dated Feb 3, 2017) of the 300-page PDF document, written by Paul Anderson, Aaron Dick, David Lovelock, and Greg Stiles. It is devoted to managing searches for missing persons, primarily in wilderness environments. It is designed to be used by prospective and experienced Planning Section Chiefs (PSCs) and their Unit Leaders. This book is written to help the PSC on large, complex search incidents perform the critical functions of their position and manage their section in the most professional, effective and efficient manner possible. It is copyrighted by the Arizona Search and Rescue Coordinators Association, Ltd. |
| Find 'Em Presentation | The Power Point slides of the presentation given by Greg Stiles at the 2014 Syrotuck Symposium held in Woodcliff Lake, NJ. |
| Helicopter Experiments: Desert | This is a copy of the 1981 document ``DESERT SEARCHES: EFFECTIVENESS OF HELICOPTERS'' that describes the research that was conducted in Pima County, AZ, to establish a conservative measurement of the probability of detection, POD, of the United States Air Force helicopter rescue teams searching Sonoran desert terrain for lost persons. |
| Helicopter Experiments: Mountain | This is a copy of the 1991 document ``MOUNTAIN SEARCHES: EFFECTIVENESS OF HELICOPTERS'' that describes the research that was conducted in Pima County, AZ, to measure the effectiveness of United States Air Force Air Rescue crews searching for lost persons in a rugged mountain environment of Southern Arizona. |
| Helicopter Rescue Techniques | This 112-page PDF document, written by Ken Phillips, Branch Chief of Search and Rescue, National Park Service, is a training manual prepared by the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service for the National SAR Academy (NSARA). It deals with Civilian Public Safety and Military Helicopter Rescue Operations. |
| Helicopter Risk Continuum, Helicopter FOG Cards, and Helicopter Use Decisions and Calculations | These three PDF documents, written by Tim Kovacs, Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Mountain Rescue/Central Arizona Mountain Rescue, cover the decision making process for employing helicopters in search and rescue. |
| Incident Response Checklist | Incident Response Checklist is a two-page document (PDF) written by Paul Anderson, Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. It is a checklist of items to be performed by the IC from the moment the subject is reported missing. This document is part of Win CASIE III. |
| Initial Response Incident Commander Wilderness Search | This is a PDF document (dated May 23, 2016) written and copyrighted by members of the Arizona Search and Rescue Coordinators Association, Ltd. It is devoted to managing searches for missing persons, primarily in wilderness environments, during the Initial Response phase of a search. It is designed to be used by prospective and experienced search managers in conjunction with the software Win CASIE III. |
| Inland Search Management for AZ SAR Coordinators | This is the 9th edition (dated November 18, 2016) of the 400-page PDF document, written and copyrighted by members of the Arizona Search and Rescue Coordinators Association, Ltd. It is devoted to managing searches for missing persons, primarily in wilderness environments. It is designed to be used by prospective and experienced search managers in conjunction with the software Win CASIE III and ICS-SAR. It forms the basis of a 40-hour Inland Search Management course, spread over five days. Much of the SAR content in this manual has been known for decades-knowledge gained mostly by experience. Previously, some of it has been passed down in books, some in classrooms, and some by word-of-mouth. Here we have tried to gather that knowledge in one place, giving credit wherever possible. Consequently, there is more in this manual than can be covered in a 5-day course, so course participants are expected to study the manual out of class and then use it as a reference during an incident. |
| Inland Search Management (non-Arizona specific version) | This is the non-Arizona specific version of "Inland Search Management for AZ SAR Coordinators" described in the previous entry. |
| Interviewing a Subject Found Alive | If the subject is found alive then a post-incident interview with the found subject should be conducted to determine what happened. This document suggests ways of doing this. This document is part of Win CASIE III. |
| Investigative Task List | Investigative Task List is a two-page document (PDF) compiled by experienced search managers. It is a checklist of items to be considered when investigating the disappearance of a subject. This document is part of Win CASIE III. |
| ISRID statistics and UK missing person incidents | This review, written by Dave Perkins, looks at the ISRID statistics from the point of view of the UK search manager, and wonders what they provide that is above and beyond the statistics produced within the UK. |
| Map Datums For SAR Planning and Operations, a Navigation Information Briefing Sheet, and Navigation Information for SAR Planners and SAR Field Operations | These three PDF documents are written by Art Pundt, Coconino County Sheriff's Office, Search and Rescue Unit, Flagstaff, Arizona. The first document discusses Finding Map or GPS Datums; Common Datums; and Maps, Datums, and SAR Resources. The second is a one-page briefing sheet. The third summarizes common map and GPS coordinate formats. These documents are part of Win CASIE III. |
| Moving INLAND SAR into the 21st Century | The Power Point slides of the presentation given by Dan O'Connor of NEWSAR at the 2014 Syrotuck Symposium held in Woodcliff Lake, NJ. |
| Questions to ask a Lost Subject who self-reports by Cell Phone | This is a checklist (PDF) written by Eric E. Johnson, Pima County Sheriff's Department, Tucson, AZ. With the increased usage of cell phones, more and more subjects are reporting themselves lost via a cell phone. Interviewing these subject requires a different mind set from interviewing a typical reporting party. |
| Objectives, Strategies, and Tactics in Search and Rescue | This document, written by David Lovelock with the assistance of Aaron Dick and Paul Anderson, attempts to clarify the meaning and use of the terms Objectives, Strategies, and Tactics, with examples from Search and Rescue. |
| POC ≠ POA | POC ≠ POA is an article (PDF) written by David Lovelock, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. It explains why POC (Probability of Containment) and POA (Probability of Area) are not the same. |
| Search and Rescue Magazine | From 1973 to 1984, Dennis Kelley published the Search and Rescue Magazine. These are archival copies of every issue, scanned by Jerry Wellman. |
| Search Management Action Plan | Search Management Action Plan is a two-page document (PDF) developed at the Grand Canyon National Park. Updated 2013. It is an excellent timeline tool designed to cover the Initial, Concurrent, and Successive actions of a search. Reprinted with permission Bil Vandergraff & Ken Phillips - All Rights Reserved. This document is part of Win CASIE III. |
| Searching For Subjects with Autism | The National Autism Association has compiled a SAR checklist when the missing subject is autistic, as has the Autism Safety Project. Their suggestions are summarized here. This document is part of Win CASIE III. |
| Some Thoughts on Multiple-Subject Searches | Some Thoughts on Multiple-Subject Searches is a two-page document (PDF) that summarizes a discussion between Paul Anderson, Aaron Dick, David Lovelock, Dan O'Connor, Dave Perkins, Pete Roberts, and Rick Toman, on the basics of how to analyze and respond to a multiple-person search. |
| The U.K. Missing Person Behaviour Study, March 2011 | This is a 66-page document (PDF) by Dave Perkins, Pete Roberts, and Ged Feeney. A total of 1271 search incidents in the UK are analyzed, and some subject behaviors differ considerably from US and Canadian counterparts. |
| The Pseudoscience Of Land Search Probability Theories | A document written by Hugh Dougher. This paper contends that many of the land search probability theories and debates reflect pseudoscience, and asserts that strict adherence to the maritime search probability model isn't appropriate for land search. |
| Topics in Inland Search Management | A document written by David Lovelock. While almost everything in this document can be found in SAR manuals, it isn't always easy to find the answer to a specific question. That is what this document tries to address. It is aimed at people fresh to SAR and those whose memory has faded since taking an Inland SAR Management course decades ago. It is designed to be "dipped into" rather than read from cover-to-cover, although it can be used that way. |
| Typos In NASAR's SAR Operations Field Guide | This is a list of typos, primarily in the Probability Zones Table on page 1.19 of NASAR's SAR Operations Field Guide. Collected by David Lovelock and posted here with NASAR's concurrence. | WinCASIEIII Operator Job Action Sheet | A two-page document summarizing the qualifications and actions that should be taken by a WinCASIEIII operator. |
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