*** Handling the Family & Friends of Search Subjects *** Ken Kurth wrote:    >When you are out on a search operation or a rescue mission, what do >you do with family and friends of the victim? Do you let them be at >the Incident Command? Do you assign someone to them? If so who? Do you >separate them from the IC and have a PIO be a liaison? Do you ask them >to stay home? What do you do? Date: Friday, August 01, 1997 6:56 AM From: Robert H. McCool This is probably one of the toughest issues in public safety - not just in SAR, or even in rescue in general, but also in the fire service, law enforcement, etc. What to do with the family and friends of the victim/patient is a tough issue, especially when it involves a prolonged incident such as a search mission. In general, we have established these guidelines: 1) Unless they are able to safely provide significant assistance (some can, especially in certain types of incidents), family and/or friends are not allowed into the working area. 2) Family and friends are typically accommodated at the command post site, but not in the CP itself - making decisions is hard enough, the ICS staff doesn't need to feel that they're being second-guessed every moment by a family member watching over their shoulder. 3) A specific liaison (the chaplain or a counselor, if available) is assigned to the family. They are kept as up-to-the-minute as possible on the conduct of the mission, and the ICS staff tries to meeting with them (in addition to the liaison's briefings) now and then, to listen to their concerns and to let them know that their views and ideas are important. 4) The media/PIO area is kept separate from the family area, and media reps are not allowed into the family area unless specifically approved by the family. Even then, if only one or two family/friends want to speak with the media, the interview should be set up in a neutral area, so that other family members who may not want to talk to the media don't get pulled into it. 5) If there is a reason to let a family member or reporter into the working area, they should be escorted by senior (read "not easily ignored or intimidated") personnel. ***Robert McCool*** Robert H. McCool, MS, EMT E-mail: rmccool@pop.uky.edu Univ. of Kentucky Medical Center --------------------------- KY Injury Prevention & Research Center Training Officer 333 Waller Avenue, Suite 202 Madison County Rescue Squad Lexington, Kentucky 40504-2915 P.O. Box 249 (606) 257-6741 Fax: (606) 257-3909 Richmond, Kentucky 40476 Web Site: http://www.kiprc.uky.edu/mvipp/ From: leachs@ccmail.orst.edu (Susan Leach) Date: Monday, August 04, 1997 9:38 AM Dear Ken, Most of the missions I have been on allow family and friends to be at base camp, but not in the IC. I think it would be pretty hard to keep them away. There is usually someone assigned to be liason for them. Marion County has a sherrif office chaplin on site. Having family and friends can provide information regarding clothing, habits, etc. When they are there they can easily identify personal items, clothing, tracks (sometimes) for the searchers. Friends who might have been climbing with the subject, of course, can show us the point last seen and describe what happened at the scene. On only one occasion, when there was only a deputy, myself, and a wife at base ops, did I allow a family member to sit in the truck with me. In this instance it turned out okay, but usually it is not something I would do. Dealing with the press is a similar issue. I think the family needs to be protected from the press, as I've seen some fairly heartless things done to family members. Being assigned as liason to family and friends can be very emotionally draining and I would suggest more than one person be doing this. Susan Corvallis Mountain Rescue Unit Date: Wed, 06 Aug 1997 16:40:02 -0400 From: David Hancock To: sar-l-d@islandnet.com Subject: Re: Family and Friends      We put yellow ribbons (crime scene tape) on em' (around the arm or pinned on them). This allows everybody to know when there is a family member around in case they need to watch comments, speculation, and "black humor". We rarely have the personnel available to station a person with them. For the most part, we let the law enforcement folks on scene handle the family. The assigned law enforcement investigator is the main player in this. We normally ask them to stay home to let us know if the subject returns, calls, etc. One nightmare that happened in NC several years ago was a subject that killed his grandmother and was walking around at the search with a pistol strapped on his side the entire time. When the body was found and the investigation began to center on him he ended up in a high speed pursuit with police that ended with him committing suicide (via his own pistol if I recall correctly). That is another reason I like the law enforcement liaison with the family. Take the Susan Smith case, things that the perpitrator could say may come into play in a trial and an investigator is more apt to better document these things. David David S. Hancock, CEM http://www.mindspring.com/~dobesar/ Personal e-mail: dobesar@mindspring.com Work e-mail: dhancock@ci.durham.nc.us Emergency Management Coordinator for Durham/Durham Co. Emergency Mgt.Agency Chief of Durham Search and Rescue Trainer/Handler of 3 and a half y/o Doberman GUS with Central Unit of the NC SAR Dog Association, Inc. Date: Wed, 06 Aug 1997 19:30:06 -0400 From: Larry Jones To: sar-l@islandnet.com Subject: Re: Family and Friends In line with David Hancock's wisdom... I am on a local SAR team and a member of a Sheriff's Department statutorily responsible for missing/lost person incidents in North Carolina. What has worked best with us has been the approach of "attaching" the family to the lead investigator (patrol officer or detective) to help them accomplish the investigative-side of a search operation. If you're able to establish a strong investigation function in your search, you should be able to keep the family busy and PRODUCTIVE. All the family wants in one of these situations is to do something, anything, which makes them feels as though they're helping their missing family-member or friend. Don't treat them like the "media". They deserve and require more attention than that. Get them involved in an aspect of the search that would not put them in the middle of a body-recovery. I've had family members on a crew that located their mother, deceased, with slit wrists. This was my mistake and I have to live with it. I learned the hard way to find anything for them to do besides being in the field... As in murder investigations at a home, I try to find the calmest of the family (good luck...)and verbally coax them into helping me help the others in finding something constructive to do, AWAY from the actual scene. In a search operation, if a friend or family-member demands to be on a crew, then assign them to the lowest probability mission. If they demand moe, then be honest, tell them what they may see or discover and the horror of the "find". Once they think for a moment, most will agree with you. If any investigation is in full-bloom, there should be something they can assist in that doesn't place them close to the action. If they insist on remaining on-scene, then keep them fully briefed at all times. Show the incident map. Show them the mission assignments. Show and tell them anything that will make them feel a part of the incident and not on the outside. You'll keep them satisfied, away from the scene, and a good resource of investigative information. Like David said... tag them somehow so everyone will know who the family is. It's a safe idea to prevent the inevitable "gallows-humor" statement or negative comments from reaching the wrong ears. Larry D. Jones Guilford County Sheriff's Department & Search And Rescue Team North Carolina Search And Rescue Advisory Council Contact: 800-414-1627, numeric pager / email: ldjones@nr.infi.net --------------------