The search process is a process that, as we have mentioned, begins before the physical presence of the team in the field. The design of its search process can be achieved:
Based on information on missing persons and the environment where they are located, which may indicate:
- The number of missing persons
- Personal information (Full name, age, tel. Communication, work, married or not, etc.)
- Their physical and mental condition
- Any health problems
- Intake of medication (they have it with them, they left it behind, what will happen if they do not receive it?)
- The clothes they wear (What they wore when they left, what they had with them 😉
- Food and Water Supplies (They had taken with them, it is sufficient, for how long will they reach them;)
- Are they right-handed or left-handed?
- The means of transport they have.
- Their knowledge in this field
- The time of their departure
- Their scheduled itinerary
- The purpose of their excursion.
- The potential danger or problem they face.
- Their Last Known Point (L.K.P.) or their Last Point Thesis (L.P.TH).
- Last Seen (L.S.) – (Last Seen Time-L.S.T.). (What were their intentions, what route did they intend to follow, what were the previous itineraries they did;)
- The means of communication they have
- The equipment they have
- The knowledge that the missing has about this area
- Information from their social environment, concerning the specific situation.
- Any other relevant information.
Rescue planning should consider the requirements which may occur at each of these stages. One good practice is to ask questions about the requirements that will arise at each stage. Rescue alone is a process that can be relatively simple or can prove to be extremely demanding and complex.
From the moment of detection of missing persons, we can distinguish four (4) basic steps for the successful completion of a rescue mission:
- Access to the missing persons
- Stabilize them
- Releasing them
- Evacuation and Transport
Field search is a process that requires proper planning and preparation, which is carried out by developing a search plan that has considered the latest information. Keep in mind that search is a dynamic and ever-changing process, a complex process and the following factors play a key role in its successful and smooth outcome.
Coordination plays a very important role in the process of conducting search. The coordination of the search team or teams should be done centrally from the base of operations and specifically from the head of the field (or in his absence, from his replacer) who has overall control. The flow of information should be immediate and clear.
Each team involved in the search process should perform it with due care, accuracy, efficiency, reliability, and responsibility, as it should. The search carried out by a team in a given area should be considered complete only when the above guarantees have been fulfilled and the entire area of research undertaken by the team has been covered. If in any case there are serious reasons (gaps in research in the field, new information, inability of the team to carry out the research properly for various reasons), the research in this field should be repeated.
Even if investigations in all areas are completed without result and need to be re-examined, this should be performed by alternating the area of responsibility of one group with another. This is because each team is likely by nature to perform differently and ultimately prove to be more effective in one searching area than another.
It is also possible, depending on the latest information and indications emerging from the search, to extend to a larger geographical area than originally defined. In this case, the incident command, through the department heads and team leaders, should inform all the involved teams about the new data, requirements, goals, and schedule that arises. Accordingly, the teams should be informed about their availability and ability to continue the operation.
The staff and equipment of the SAR team should not be endangered, as well as the team itself should not be endangered, unless human lives are threatened, and the chances of successful rescue are within the capabilities of the SAR team and their equipment. The SAR team should carry out all those actions that are required to locate missing persons, determine their situation, and proceed to their rescue. However, the prolonged search and rescue operations, especially since the chances of finding the missing alive have disappeared, are now dangerous for the staff, have a high financial cost, and do not guarantee the success of their detection.
The decision on whether or not to continue operations from this point on should be based on the Probability of Detection of the missing. The final decision rests with the head of the event who, in consultation with the head of the SAR team, must weigh the information considering the possibilities of locating the missing persons, the available resources and their competencies, the safety of the staff, and the possible benefits and disadvantages of operation continuity.
