Critiques

From PCSAR

Critiques are one of the most effective ways PC SAR has to improve the manner in which it works. The purpose of a critique is not to be critical but to share an understanding of what worked well and what could be improved.

PC SAR performs a critique after all but minor incidents.

Our preference is to use a SAR Manager that was not involved in the incident to give an unbiased chairing of the critique.

Tasks

• Prepare for the meeting
• Pick a time (Tuesday evening?) when most participants in the search are available.
• book a room (FireHall, MDMeetingRoom)
• Announce by e-mail or call-out.
• Have someone (usually the last Search Manager involved) draft a 1 page summary of the incident. (see Incident Summary Form Task)
• Invite the tasking agency and other organizations we worked with to send a representative. Many SAR groups are listed at: http://www.saralberta.org/groupmap/groups.html
• Decide whether snacks are needed and arrange them.
• Collect suggestions from those members that can't attend.

Your effort: 1 hr

• Chair the meeting.
• Ask someone to take detailed notes.
• Sample agenda (usually there is not enough time for all of these items; focus on the important ones)
  • introductions
  • sign in (to the critique)
  • confidentiality
  • brief report from person in charge of post op activities (last search manager?) re expenses, lost and found, work needing doing, etc.
  • what a critique is
    • understanding
    • learning, improvement
    • suggestions, ideas
    • how suggestions will be distributed
    • committees that will make decisions on suggestions
  • incident summary (from draft 1-page report)
  • functional areas of incident
    • first notification / tasking
    • call-out
    • investigation
    • communications
    • resources
    • family liaison
    • (de)briefing
    • searching
    • extrication
    • stand down
    • CISM
    • prevention, public education
    • travel
    • logistics
    • planning
    • media
    • post ops
    • learning (critique, exercise goals/techniques)
  • round table (anyone have points that they need to bring up that wasn't already mentioned)

Your effort: 1.5 hrs

• Report
  • Edit the incident summary to include information that came out in the critique.
  • Sort and write up the suggestions (we have examples of this). See PCSAR Doc-97 on [1]
  • Assign suggestions to be reviewed by PC SAR board, PC SAR preplan committee, PC SAR equipment committee, PC SAR call out committee or one of our partner organizations.
• Forward your report to each group.
• Send the sign-in list from the critique to the Membership Coordinator.

Your effort: 2.5 hrs.

Critique notes

• /2009-05-05 : Mock search, Anderson search
• /2010-03-21 : Avalanche, Mock Search