SAR Fundamentals/Schedule

From PCSAR

This is a sample schedule for SAR Fundamentals courses hosted by PCSAR.

It is intended to help instructors schedule their sections. It is not intended for students as a commitment of what will be taught when. Times are only approximate. Elements may be moved around.

Contents 1 Evening 1 2 Day 2 3 Day 3 4 Assigned Reading 5 Evening 4 6 Day 5 7 Evening 5 8 Day 6 9 not covered

Evening 1

Typically a Friday. 18:00-21:30

Introductions and Registration

0.5hr - 18:00-18:30

The SAR Role

1.0 hr - 18:30-19:30

break

0.25 hr - 19:30-19:45

Anatomy of an Incident

1.5hr 19:45-21:15

flex

0.25 hr - 21:15-21:30

buffer for overruns

Q's, discussion, prep for next day, clean up

Day 2

Typically a Saturday. 09:00-17:00

Start-up

0.5 hr - 09:00-09:30

sign in

exam on previous day's material

Ready Pack

1.0 hr - 09:30-10:30

break

0.25 - 10:30-10:45

Anatomy of an incident (cont)

0.5hr 10:45-11:15

SAR Mgmt video

"Initial Response" 27:30

spend time repacking my pack

Organization and Incident Command

0.5hr 11:15-11:45

flex

0.25hr - 11:45-12:00

buffer for overruns

questions

lunch

12:00-12:30

Navigation, part 1

4.5 hr - 12:30-17:00

Day 3

Typically a Sunday. 09:00-17:00

Start-up

0.5 hr - 09:00-09:30

sign in

exam on previous day's material

Navigation, part 2, instruments - indoor

1.75hr - 09:30 - 11:30

includes break

0.25 - 10:30-10:45

SAR Fundamentals Ch.13 "Navigation"

Basic SAR Skills Manual: Ch.7 "Navigation"

stride count

compass

GPS

Navigation, part 3, instruments - practical - stride count

0.25hr - 11:30-11:45

SAR Fundamentals Manual: Ch.13 "Navigation"

Basic SAR Skills Manual: Ch.7 "Navigation"

Assigned reading

0.25 hr - 11:45 - 12:00

lunch

12:00-12:30

Search Skills and Compass Practical

4.5 hr - 12:30-17:00

Assigned Reading

See Readings.

Evening 4

Typically a Friday, 2 weeks after the previous weekend. 18:00-21:30

Start-up

0.5 hr - 18:00-18:30

sign in

exam on previous day's material

Review assigned reading

1.0 hr - 18:30-19:30

• Survival and Body Mgmt., & Fitness
• clothing, personal protection, & Personal Equip
• Communications

flex

0.5 hr 19:30-20:00

break

0.25 - 20:00-20:15

Navigation, part 3, instruments - practical - GPS

SAR Fundamentals Manual: Ch.13 "Navigation"

Basic SAR Skills Manual: Ch.7 "Navigation"

1.25 hr : 20:15-19:00

Day 5

Typically a Saturday. 09:00-17:00

Start-up

0.5 hr - 09:00-09:30

sign in

exam on previous day's material

First Aid

1.0 hr - 09:30-10:30

SAR Fundamentals Manual:

• Ch.9 "Some Survival First Aid Considerations"
• appendix B

Basic SAR Skills Manual:

• Ch.11 "First Aid"
• F-9 "Hypothermia"

Hypothermia

break

0.25 hr - 10:30-10:45

Evacuation

0.25 hr - 10:45-11:00

SAR Fundamentals Manual: Ch.26 "Evacuation"

Basic SAR Skills Manual: Ch.23 "Rescue and Evacuation"

[include litter carry / perhaps patient packaging]

Cold Weather SAR

1 hr - 11:00-12:00

• Snowmobile / Winter SAR

  Basic SAR Skills Manual: F-10 "Snowmobile/Winter SAR"

• Cold Weather Nutrition

  Basic SAR Skills Manual: F-8 "Cold Weather Nutrition"

• Wind Chill Calculation

  Basic SAR Skills Manual: G-4 "Wind Chill Calculation Chart"

lunch

12:00-12:30

Communications

1 hr - 12:30-13:30

SAR Fundamentals Manual: Ch.14 "Communications"

Basic SAR Skills Manual: F-4 "Communications"

Exercise

see sar/pc/training/subject/sar-fundamentals/components/subject/05-communications

Lost person behaviour

0.5hr - 13:30-14:00

SAR Fundamentals Manual:

• Ch.21 "Lost Person Behavior"
• Appendix F "Lst Person Questionnaire"

Basic SAR Skills Manual: Ch.14 "Lost Person Behavior"

Lost person Questionnaire w/exercise

Search Probability Theory

0.75hr - 14:00-14:45

SAR Fundamentals Manual: Ch.22 "Search Probability Theory"

Basic SAR Skills Manual:

• Ch.12 "Search Management Crucials"
• Ch.13 "Search Area/Confinement"

Search Area / Confinement

break

0.25hr - 14:45-15:00

Briefing and debriefing

0.75hr - 15:00-15:45

SAR Fundamentals Manual: Appendix D "Briefing and Debriefing Checklists"

Basic SAR Skills Manual: F-1 "Callout/Check-In"

see sar/pc/training/subject/sar-fundamentals/components/subject/07-briefing-debriefing

Search Team Leader

0.5hr - 15:45-16:15

2005-02 09:55-10:20 : 0.4h

Basic SAR Skills Manual: Ch.17 "Search Team Leader"

(add marshalling, sign-in)

see sar/pc/training/subject/sar-fundamentals/components/subject/06-team-leader

Tracking

0.5hr - 16:15-16:45

SAR Fundamentals Manual:

• Ch.23 "Tracking"
• Appendix C "Track ID Form"

Basic SAR Skills Manual: Ch.18 "Tracking"

Tracking Form.

Exercise

flex

buffer for overruns

0.25hr - 16:45-17:00

Q's, prep for mock search

Evening 5

Typically the same Saturday evening. 19:00-22:00

evening mock search

Day 6

Typically a Sunday. 09:00-17:00

Stress

0.75 hr - 09:00-09:45

SAR Fundamentals Manual: Ch.16 "Stress in SAR"

Basic SAR Skills Manual: F-3

(Floating Stone Video)

critique

1.0 hr - 09:30-10:30

2006-09-30 09:26 - 10:15

2005-02 08:50 - 10:05

2008-02-07 10:00 - 2008-02-07 10:34

critique of night search

break

0.25 - 10:30-10:45

Review

0.5 hr - 10:45-11:15

verify sign in

distribute course evaluations

exam on previous day's material

Survival

0.75 - 11:15-12:00

SAR Fundamentals Manual: Ch.7 "Emergency Survival Skills - Improvising"

Basic SAR Skills Manual:

• Ch.25 "Short Term Survival Skills"
• F-17 "PSAR"

prevention, trip plan

improvising

video Share The Responsibility

lunch

12:00-12:30

Helicopter

0.75hr - 12:30-13:15

2005-02 10:40 - 11:40

SAR Fundamentals Manual: Ch.29 "Helicopter in SAR"

Basic SAR Skills Manual: F-6 "Helicopter Operations"

Helicopter operations video

Air Observer Guidelines

1 hr - 13:15-14:15

2005-02 12:45 - 13:20

2006-09-30 13:12 - 14:15

SAR Fundamentals Manual: Ch.28 "Air Operations Observer"

Basic SAR Skills Manual: F-7 "Air Observer Guide"

Legal Aspects

0.5hr - 14:15-14:45

2005-02 15:20 - 15:41

2008-02-07 14:36-15:06

SAR Fundamentals Manual: Ch.31 "Legal Questions: Some Suggestions for Keeping Out of Trouble"

Basic SAR Skills Manual: F-15 "Legal Aspects"

break

0.25 - 14:45-15:00

Evidence handling

0.5 hr - 15:00-15:30

2005-02 09:05 - 09:38

SAR Fundamentals Manual: Ch.18 "Handling Evidence"

Basic SAR Skills Manual: Ch.20 "Evidence Handling"

Exercise

External influences

0.5hr - 15:30-16:00

SAR Fundamentals Manual: Ch.30 "Handling External Influences"

(family, media, politics)

Foot Travel Skills

0.25hr - 16:00-16:15

2006-09-30 14:15 - 14:27

SAR Fundamentals Manual: Ch.12 "Travel Skills: Foot Travel for the SAR Worker"

Basic SAR Skills Manual: Ch.8 "Foot Travel"

Review

0.5 hr - 16:15-16:45

exam on day's material

Wrap up

0.25 hr - 16:45-17:00

• certificates, congratulations
• log books
• going forward
  • maintaining certification
  • joining SAR groups
    • SAR Alberta
  • other training that is possible
• return lent texts, compasses
• return cheques

not covered

The following material is not explicitly scheduled and where appropriate will be covered in earlier sections.

Navigation - Lat/Long

0.75 hr

SAR Fundamentals Manual: Ch13

SAR Fundamentals Manual: Ch.13 "Navigation"

Basic SAR Skills Manual: Ch.7 "Navigation"

Rationale to not include: SAR workers only use lat/long when interfacing with members of the public and air searchers. Conversion to UTM can be accomplished by a suitably trained person in the planning section.

Navigation - Legal Land Description, Road Numbering System, Municipal Approach Numbering System

1.5 hr

2006-09-30 10:15 11:45

SAR Fundamentals Manual: Ch.13 "Navigation"

Basic SAR Skills Manual: Ch.7 "Navigation"

Rationale to not include: SAR workes only use LLD and its derivatives when navigating to the search site and interfacing with the public and municipal workers. Navigation by LLD is a difficult skill to maintain. Conversion to UTM can be accomplished by a suitably trained person in the planning section.

Rope rescue

1.25 hr

SAR Fundamentals Manual:

• Ch.24 "Rope Rescue Equipment"
• Ch.25 "Rope Related Skills"

Basic SAR Skills Manual:

• Ch.21 "Rope Rescue Equipment"
• Ch.22 "Rope Knots and Skills"

related skills-exercise on knots

Rationale to not include: To assist in a rope rescue takes considerably more training than can be included in this course.

Mountain Bike SAR

Basic SAR Skills Manual: F-12 "Mountain Bike SAR"

Rationale to not include: A speciality not often encountered.