Sponsoring Organizations:
- New York State Federation of Search and Rescue
- Pennsylvania Search and Rescue Council
- Search and Rescue Council of New Jersey, Inc.
Links:
NOTE: There may be class additions, modifications or deletions up and during the conference. Appropriate notice will be provided to pre-registered participants.
INTENDED AUDIENCE: Emergency management or first responder personnel assigned to an incident or event who are required to have an intermediate level of understanding and operational knowledge of ICS. The student must have successfully completed the ICS-200 course to attend.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: I-300 (Modules 7-9 and 11) with just an overview of Module 10: "Air Operations" of the NIIMS ICS National Training Curriculum. This will be a 2 1/2 DAY course for up to 30 students. The modules covered in this course from the National Training Curriculum will provide information about the organization and staffing of an Incident Command System, organizing for planned and unplanned events, and Resource Management.
NOTE: This course has a prerequisite of ICS 200.
INSTRUCTOR: Instructor Cadre from NY State Emergency Management Office
The SMC Course was developed in the 1970's to bring Search Management Information to the men and women of the Civil Air Patrol and others from State and Federal agencies within the United States. The course is administered by USAF SAR Controllers assigned to the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC). These men and women of the AFRCC volunteer for this duty in addition to a full schedule of rotating shifts at the Center. Controller must be assigned to the AFRCC for a minimum of one year before being considered as an Instructor. The SMC course will be administered Wednesday and Thursday. The course consists of lessons with PowerPoint presentations, and ends with a tabletop exercise of an aircraft search scenario. Specific areas covered include, SARSAT capability, RCC/IC coordination, public affairs, incident command system, what the RCC can provide to the IC in the field, and other SAR related matters. The focus of the course is to provide an environment that will allow the attendees to discuss their past experiences, concerns for SAR and do that "all-important" networking that is needed to provide a cooperative SAR network. It is HIGHLY encouraged that Students include local and state law enforcement, state agencies and volunteer agencies. This will provide the highest level of networking for the attendees.
This is a self-paced field exercise to practice map reading, map orientation, route planning, field navigation efficiency. The Course will be laid out by Heather Houlahan of Allegheny Mountain Rescue Group and some of her associates. This course can be completed at the participant time of choosing based on other interests during the week.
This course is designed to train leaders of search crews. Participants must pre-register, be approved by the DEC, and provide proof they have completed the NYSDEC Wilderness Basic Search Skills Course. The course covers Crew Boss goals, responsibilities, search organization, safety, Search techniques, communications, supervision and morale, map and compass, and concludes with a field exercise. It will be taught by NY DEC Rangers and is a 1 1/2 day event all day Friday and Sunday morning. Both days must be completed to gain certification. If oversubscribed, preference will be given to NY FEDSAR members.
This course introduces emergency workers and candidates to the wilderness search member requirements. The course covers search organization, safety, communications, search techniques, and concludes with a final exam and field exercise. It will be taught all day on Friday by NYSDEC Rangers. It is a pre-requisite for the Crew Boss course.
See the PA SAR Council website for all requirements, www.psarc.org
Reminder: Current CPR card, as well as FTM and FTL qualifications are required to test for Canine Handler. Examiners will be from the PA DCNR
This presentation will cover selecting and training mounts and riders for field SAR, medical requirements, resource allocation and limitations, mission interface and support requirements, and mounted SAR management. Trail Riders Of Today (TROT) Mounted SAR team from Maryland will conduct the class and field work. The riders have all completed NASAR training and various levels of SARTECH. National standards are in development for this resource which has units in all areas of the US and some in Canada.
Code 3 is a large-animal rescue and rescue training organization based near Denver, Colorado. They are bringing their 75' tractor- trailer BART Big Animal Rescue Truck from Colorado and will be resident on site all week, of course, subject to emergency dispatch elsewhere at anytime. They are totally self-sufficient and tour the US for special events when not on emergency duty for floods etc. and were recently at the NASAR convention in VA.
The presentation by the USAF Rescue Coordination Center provides an overview of how the federal resources are managed to support missing aircraft, missing persons, and other SAR responsibilities for the land areas of the 48 contiguous states and how they interface with marine responders on the coasts and inland waterways. The presentation will be made by a controller from the Center.
Jacki Golike is the Executive Director of the National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR) and, as such, leads the paid staff and interfaces with all the committees and projects ongoing in the organization. She registered as a regular participant but we have asked her to make a presentation on where NASAR is going and to take questions from the attendees. She may be joined by other staff or elected officials from NASAR.
Presented by the Technical Rescue Equipment Company
Course is designed to introduce SAR personnel to slope rappel using minimal equipment. These skills will allow a SAR provider to safely traverse a slope that has marginal footing to access a patient or lost subject. Course involves classroom and field activities as well as medical considerations. Participants should have a helmet, leather palm gloves, suitable footwear and dress for weather.
Chief Instructor John F. Gumbs, : Nationally certified Cave Rescue Instructor by the National Cave Rescue Commission, specialized technical rescue operations trainer,
SAR MSO, Field Team Leader, EMT, WEMT. Involved in rescue since 1990.
Co-instructor Mitzi Kaiura. : Nationally certified cave rescue Team Leader by the National Cave Rescue Commission, rescue operations trainer, firefighter, SAR Field
Team Leader, EMT, WEMT. Involved in rescue since 1995.
Cave Rescue Operations
Presented by the New Jersey Initial Response Team
Course is designed to introduce SAR personnel to the very specialized requirements a cave rescue incident demands. This knowledge will provide SAR personnel with the knowledge needed to evaluate the situation, organize the operation, and identify and acquire specialized rescue resources. Course involves both classroom and field activities as well as medical considerations. Participants should have a helmet, leather palm gloves, suitable footwear, knee/elbow pads, and plan to get dirty.
Lead Instructor will be a Nationally certified Cave Rescue Instructor by the National Cave Rescue Commission. Support personnel have cave rescue training and technical rescue experience.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children was established in 1984 as a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization to provide services nationwide for families and professionals in the prevention of abducted, endangered, and sexually exploited children. Pursuant to its mission and it's congressional mandates. Rick Toman is a special consultant to the NCMEC for search management and will speak about the interfaces between the Center, law enforcement and SAR organizations. While some of the information which the center deals with is Police-Sensitive and not shared with civilian searchers, there common areas of concern where civilian SAR resources play a role. Mr. Toman is the civilian SAR Administrator for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and works with the State Police. He will discuss some of the more publicly discussed searches for children in the recent past.
The Emergency Management Products (EMP) Group extends back to the industry's beginnings 25 years - ago when the Group developed the first hardware and software prototypes for the location of distress beacons via satellite. Since then, the safety and surveillance systems developed at EMS have saved lives and led to the safe recovery of thousands of disaster and accident victims. Through their DSSI unit, they are a supplier of command-and-control systems for Rescue Coordination Centers and other emergency response services. The Group now has the capability to provide a complete search-and-rescue solution, from the detection and location of distress beacons by their satellite ground stations (Local User Terminals), to the Mission Control and Rescue Coordination Centers. EMS Technologies EMP Group is planning to bring a field terminal and graphic display system to demonstrate how distress signals are handled and distributed to the final responders. Coordination is in progress to demonstrate an actual distress alert at the conference and its process for resolution. There will also be a class presentation.
This class and computer program will demonstrate how to prepare a digital topographic map of the primary search area and annotate it for SAR use. A key component is the use of Maptech software and CDs to produce mission maps for field team and mission management purposes. The class will be presented by display technicians from New Jersey Search and Resue (NJSAR) Team.
This class and computer program will demonstrate how to set up and import various graphic mapping files from various software platforms and custom files to create composite ortho-photo, topographic, and other data files for use in SAR management. A good grasp of basic digital mapping skills, GPS data movement, and general computer graphic skills is necessary for the attendee to really benefit from this experience.
The class will be presented by Dave Clark of DC Associates, LLC and a Lt. and chairman of the Technology committee of NJSAR.
This class will orient the user on the features and limitations of GPS portable equipment, the basic principles of use, pre-field and post-field data management and transfer. If time permits, a short field exercise will follow to increase user confidence. Users/equipment owners are encouraged to bring their equipment including data cables to class. There will be limited access to power receptacles, but laptop use on battery may be beneficial. This class will be taught by members of NJSAR.
Probability of Detection or POD is reported at the completion of a team assignment in which a segment or any piece of real estate considered part of the search area (local or in another part of the world known as ROW for the Rest of the World) has been searched. POD or "coverage" depends upon a variety of 10 important factors that are commonly found in a search area other than urban scenarios. Each factor is rated on a scale of 1 to 10 with the number 10 being the absolute best condition at the time the real estate was being searched. This method can be used for line type searching, in which by adding the 10 ratings assigned each factor the sum proves to be an outstanding guide for delivering a consistent well thought out POD in which the same factors are examined in determining reportable.
A tradition of NY State SAR Federations teams is to have a live action of donated items of a technical nature, or a pride product from their home area, on site and off-site vendor donated products, some fun and crazy items(They sometimes get auctioned multiple times in the same night) as well as some very valuable item suitable for Christmas, birthday or other gifts for the future. Proceeds go to defer some of the production costs of the conference and perhaps return some seed money to the sponsoring associations. All conference attendees are invited to attend and bid/buy. Determining which state a certain item will go home to can be a challenge in its self. Auctioneers will be leaders of various SAR organizations.
This class will focus on the portable equipment, authority to operate, and optimum methods of communicating on SAR activities. Interagency operability has become a hot word in emergency management circles. Joe Higgins is Chief of NJSAR, and Emergency Management Director for the town of Wood cliff Lake, NJ He sits on various regional and national communication committees.
There have been some new concepts circulating in various SAR operational and theoretical arenas in recent years, which keep us on our toes as to how to do SAR business best. The adaptation of some marine SAR theory to land SAR has created some controversy in a number of agencies. There are some studies under way to research the concepts and determine their field viability .The first hour will cover the search theory issues. The remainder of the morning will be a CASIE Lab working with version III and discussing the impending changes/upgrade of version IV, the Windows version.
Dan O'Conner has been in the thick of this and has published well-researched replies to some of the proposed concepts. He has been very active in the evolution of the CASIE computer program for assisting SAR management. A former Helo pilot for the National Park Service, he has extensive SAR experience. Rich Toman, Civilian SAR Administrator for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will join him in the discussion. They will discuss the current stage of the new proposed, windows version of the CASIE program, the results of the beta testing and anticipated benefits of the new version when it is finally released.