-Article courtesy of Mike Scott In case you missed it, you can read Part One: Selecting the right UAV here There is a lot to think about when using a UAV to support a SAR mission and we will have a look at a couple here: Mission planning and Payload operation. We will have to save search patterns for the third installment as this might be a bit much to cover all in one go. Remember, that the mission you are flying is “User” directed. That user could be the Search Team Lead, R

-Article courtesy of Mike Scott With the cost and size of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s) shrinking we are seeing more and more teams employing these amazing little machines to aid in searches and team coordination. However, like any piece of great gear, it’s only as good as the person using it. Some of you may be sitting on the fence when it comes to using a UAV or drone in your SAR operations. Some may be fully one way or the other. Over the next few posts I will try to cl

When most hear the term SAR (Search and Rescue), they think of a group in brightly coloured jackets surrounding a lost hiker or a basket being raised from a sinking boat. For many this is mostly true, but SAR has a darker side that people outside of the community don’t like to talk about. What happens when the rescue team doesn’t get there in time? Anyone involved in a SAR operation will tell you they will go to extraordinary lengths to achieve their goal, find and bring the

I am going to pre-qualify this article by saying that this information is based on my recollection of the subject matter and that I have been out of the active duty Marine Corps for over 20 years. Times have changed and perhaps some of the methodology has as well. First off: CSAR = Combat Search and Rescue TRAP = Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel What occurs when a pilot goes down behind enemy lines or in a hostile region? Pilots are put through several different

I was a Search and Rescue Technician in Greenwood, Nova Scotia, in 2012; a newly appointed Team Leader, meaning I was the ranking SAR Tech in a team of two on a helicopter crew consisting of the two SAR Techs, two Pilots and a Flight Engineer. On the opening day of lobster fishing season in the Bay of Fundy, I reported to work for what I thought was an administration day, which meant I would be attending to my secondary duties; helping support our training, maintenance and op

The role of today’s SAR Medic is a challenging one. Today’s rescue environment demands the highest levels of prehospital care be delivered to patient side despite the technical environment that might present itself. Whether it be reducing a shoulder on a multi pitch climb, pulling a lifeless body from a snowy hole and bringing her to a complete recovery with ECMO, giving pain meds to the multi trauma on a Combat SAR (CSAR) mission, or resuscitating a cardiac arrest on a HETS