*** Searching Techniques ***

Date: Thu, 8 Feb 1996 14:49:53 -0700
From: cweddle@as.arizona.edu (Chris Weddle)
To: sar-l@islandnet.com
Subject: Search Techniques


Hi: Have been reading the various postings on the subject of night search
techniques. There's little difference down here in Southern Arizona between
what we do in the day and what we do at night. First: WE SEARCH AT NIGHT!
I've been occassionally rather stunned to hear of teams around the country,
including some "paid" groups, that do not search after dark. While I can
well accept that there may be some situations where darkness adds to the
risks sufficiently to rule out night-time operations, I've yet to encounter
such a situation.

So yes, we look for the victim when the victim needs looking for. To be
ready to do this, we train at night as well. Doing mock-searches and
technical evacs. We want our people to be comfortable in all environments,
and give them the opportunity to become familiar.

Our rule is that Team Members go into the field with a minimum of 3 sources
of light plus extra batteries/bulbs. One should always be a headlamp. I
generally have 2 headlamps, several AA size Mini-Mag lights, and at least
one 3 D-cell handlight. I've at times forgotten how many lights I had in
the pack, and threw in a couple extra to be sure. I once discovered that
I'd given out 9 assorted lights to a group of hunters and still had more
than our minimum available still in the pack.

Uh, it's a good idea to dump out your pack at least once a year?!?

Techniques & Priorites:

1. Define the search area. This begins with intensive interviewing of
reportees. And the interviewing process continues until the missing party
is found. We extend interviewing to as many persons as possible who might
have knowledge of the missing person. Co-workers. Hiking partners. Whoever
we can find to talk to. This all gets boiled down by the most experienced
Search Operations Leaders into a defination of the problem and area.

2. Confine the search area. Limiting how far the victim can wander is
critical. Decide on boundaries, and apply resources to control those
boundaries. In our mountainous terrain, these boundaries tend to be huge
natural barriers which solve this concern for us. But not always!

3. Apply multiple resources to the problem. Trail Teams use Sign-Cutting,
Attraction and Interviewing to cover their assigned areas. These are the
three core Search Skills. Management meanwhile will be seeking additional
resources such as Search Dogs, Helicopters with NVG/FLIR, Horse Mounted
Searchers, 4x4 teams where useful, broadcasts in the local media, and other
little tricks. For instance, during hunting sesons, we'll assign someone to
telephone various drinking establishments where "over-due hunters" have
turned up in the past. It's occassionally paid off!

Generally, Trail Teams will quit towards 03:00 or so and get a few hours
sleep. Very often the victim is sleeping by this time, and can be passed by
searchers. It's happened before. After working since the previous
nightfall, the team will need some rest any way. Say about 3 or 4 hours. On
many occassions, the victim responds to attraction when the teams start
moving again around 07:00 to 08:30. What we've done is surround the most
likely areas, and permeate them with teams. Victim wakes up, wonders what
all the noise is about and starts yelling back.

Tracking has at times been invaluable. But these areas are so heavily
hiked, that the lack of an accurate track description makes it very
difficult to make any use of the tracks found. Sometimes we can make
surprising use of what we find, such as the "top-most" tracks on the trail
going someplace really dumb and nasty. Or people hiking with dogs and
canes and hiking staffs will leave distinct marks we can look for. Much
easier to try and follow the few people with dogs along than all those
without!

For what it's worth, here's an excerpt from an introductory level book I've
been working on for a while:

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               From TEAM MEMBERING, by Chris Weddle.

                        SEARCH TECHNIQUES

There is no one "Best Method" to use in searching. A combination of
techniques is typically used when conducting a wilderness search. These
include Sign Cutting, Interviewing, and Attraction. All this while hiking a
prescribed course chosen as likely to block, confine, intercept, or
overtake a missing hiker. The degree to which separate techniques are used
will depend on the Team's specific instructions, and pooled resources. Your
search efforts begin as soon as you start into the field.

SIGN CUTTING: This is the detection of disturbances created by the passage
of a human being through a wilderness area or other terrain. While hiking
be on constant watch for tracks, pieces of tracks, or for any debris as you
might imagine a human generating. When you see a sandy area ahead, move off
the trail so as to protect the "Track Trap". Pay attention to litter. If
the brand new candy wrapper or cigarette pack matches what the victim was
said to be carrying, you've got a clue! Clues we have found in the past
include: Full and partial tracks, candy and food wrappers, footwear, books,
clothing, backpacking gear, cigarette butts, canteens, and other personal
articles.

Not counting the victim, our most valuable clue is the tracks left by the
victim's footwear. Sadly, it's often very difficult to determine the exact
pattern. All we usually get is make, model, size, and color of shoe. None
of this is helpful. Shoe sizes vary tremendously, and have only a passing
connection to track size. Take my feet for instance. They require anything
from a size 8 to a 9.5, depending on the brand. So what we must do is pay
close attention to the general type of tracks we see. Take note of
location, age, direction of travel, type of sole, and if any leave the
trail. Should a detailed track description become available later, than
your written or even mental notes of tracks encountered may prove quite
valuable.

ATTRACTION: This is simply the attempt to enlist the victim's help. We
advertise our presence, and invite the victim to do likewise. Attraction
involves anything you can think of to get the victim's attention. Yelling
names, flashing lights and mirrors, blowing whistles, and careful listening
and watching. Remember that if you are successful in attracting the
victim's attention, the victim must in turn attract you. So after yelling,
be quiet and listen a while. Have the radio operator stand off a little
ways. Try placing people on adjacent overlooks to catch sounds from
different directions. Coordinate your attraction efforts with other teams,
least you wind up attracting another team. It's very entertaining to
discover that two teams "found" each other, but it's not very productive.

A technique that has worked well for me in the past is to split my team,
the halves moving the same route, but a 1/4 mile apart. The method serves
two purposes. The halves of the team can appraise how well their
compatriots efforts are traveling. Also the Team's collective hearing
ability is spread over a larger area to catch more sound. The down side of
this method is the need for the Team's two halves to communicate with each
other. If this cannot easily be done without crowding up the radio, then
the team can't split. (Ham radio anyone?)

INTERVIEWING: The people you meet on the trail can provide valuable
information, and effectively multiply the number of searchers by alerting
the hiking public. The difficulty arises that everyone has an innate
yearning both to help, and to be involved. Untrained, undisciplined people
often try to make what they remember about the hikers they've seen fit the
description of who's missing. This is a very natural tendency and is
without malice.

When encountering other hikers, introduce yourself, and ask for a few
moments of their time. Example: "Hi, I'm Clyde Rescuer with Search &
Rescue, we're looking for an overdue hiker. Can I ask you a few questions
on where you've hiked and what you've seen?". Give the hiker a highly
simplified description of who you are looking for. The idea is to let the
interviewee tell the interviewer what the interviewer already knows about
the victim. Be very careful not to ask questions that suggest their own
answers. Ask about where they have hiked and camped. Get rough descriptions
of anyone they noticed. Ask about campfires seen or smelled, or voices
heard.

Try to do all this without taking notes, some people are put off by it.
Write down critical parts later. If the hiker(s) don't seem to have any
useful information, then work in a more complete description of the victim.
Ask them to call the Sheriff's Office if they remember anything later, no
mater how trivial. Assure them the victim is in no difficulty with the law,
our only interest is to make certain the person is alright.

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Chris Weddle, Mt. Lemmon, Arizona.
cweddle@as.arizona.edu
A member of but not a spokesperson for a really really nifty outfit
(nearing 40 years we are!) that prefers its members not to broadcast
personal opinions.

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