6 ways to more effectively manage a search incident

To more effectively manage a search incident, one only has to look to the Incident Command System (ISC), which specifies a number of guidelines for optimal outcomes, including:

• Keep operational periods to 12 hours or less
• Span of control should not exceed 7
• Make decisions using consensus and consultation
• Be proactive, not reactive
• Manage resources effectively
• Use common terminology

Source: This article was adapted from Arizona Basic Search and Rescue, 2nd edition (February 2013), by the Arizona Search and Rescue Coordinators Association, Ltd., in Hereford, Arizona, USA. Copyright © 2014. All Rights Reserved. Excerpted with expressed written permission. To learn more about search and rescue in Arizona, point your Internet browser to SARAZ.org.

Keep operational periods to 12 hours or less
The number of hours for which search managers can remain effective, rational decision-makers is limited. Normally, the quality of thinking processes begins to wane after 8 hours of duty and becomes severely impaired after 12 hours. The usual full operational period therefore consists of 12-hour shifts, with an overlap of approximately one hour at shift changes so that the next overhead team can be adequately briefed. In other words, the work shift is longer than the Operational Period.

In urban searches the Operational Period is sometimes set at 8 hours, rather than 12. The start and length of the second and subsequent operational periods should be proposed by the Planning Section, confirmed by the Logistics Section, and given final approval by the Incident Commander. The operational period is the period of time scheduled for completion of a given set of actions called for in the IAP.

Span of control should not exceed 7
The number of people that a manager can effectively supervise is limited, especially during a SAR incident. ICS recommends that the number of supervised people is between 3 and 7, with 5 suggested as an optimum.

When the number becomes larger than this, it is time to delegate authority to assistants, to whom the manageable span of control also applies. The size of the current organization and that for the next operational period are determined through the incident planning process.

Make decisions using consensus and consultation
In search management, the basic tenet is "Never Plan Alone". Consultation requires discussion, and discussion facilitates a rational and systematic approach to search planning, where ideas are analyzed and reevaluated through dialogue.

For example, although the Incident Commander has sole responsibility for establishing the incident objectives, they consult with members of the overhead team before doing so. Similarly, the Planning Section Chief draws upon all available expertise when assigning priorities to different segments of the search area.

Be proactive, not reactive
A proactive search manager anticipates events before they occur and is fully prepared to cope with emerging problems or difficulties. Bad weather, injuries, accidents, equipment failures, and the depletion of resources are planned for rather than merely reacted to.

Most importantly, search managers must have at their disposal a preplan, which guides many of the decisions that have to be made during a search emergency. A good preplan anticipates such problems and suggests optimal courses of action for each.

Manage resources effectively
Resources at an incident must be managed effectively. Maintaining an accurate and up-to-date picture of resource utilization is a critical component of incident management. Resource management includes processes for:

• Ordering resources.
• Dispatching resources.
• Categorizing resources. For example, there are three ways to temporarily organize resources: as single resources, as strike teams, or as task forces.
• Single Resources. As the name implies, a single resource is an individual piece of equipment, or group of individuals, with an identified supervisor. Examples of a single resource are: a helicopter with pilot, an air scent dog with handler, a UAV with "pilot", an ATV with driver, a hasty search team with leader.
• Strike Teams. A strike team consists of resources of the same kind with common communications and a leader. Examples of a strike team are: an 8-man team created from four 2-man hasty teams to search a segment, or two horses and their riders.
• Task Forces. A task force consists of resources of different kinds with common communications and a leader. An example of a task force is an air-scent dog and handler together with an additional person to handle communications.
• Tracking resources. The status of a resource that is checked-in but not checked out, fall into one of three categories.
• Assigned. Currently working on an assignment under the direction of a supervisor.
• Available. Ready for immediate assignment and has been issued all required equipment.
• Out-of-Service. Neither available nor ready to be assigned (for example, maintenance issues, rest periods).

The physical process of keeping track of resources can be done in various ways.

Use common terminology
For effective management, everyone must speak the same language. A number of central terms basic to ICS have already been introduced, such as "Incident Commander" and "Operational Period". Others follow.

• Position Titles. At each level within the ICS organization, individuals with primary responsibility have distinct titles, as do their assistants. See Table 12.1. Titles provide a common standard for all users, and also make it easier to fill ICS positions with qualified personnel. ICS titles often do not correspond to the titles used on a daily basis.

• Incident Facilities. Common terminology is used to designate the facilities in the vicinity of the incident area that are used in the course of incident management activities. See Figure 12.2. These include
• Incident Command Post (ICP), where the Incident Commander oversees the incident.
• Staging Areas, where resources are kept while waiting to be assigned.
• Base, where primary logistics functions are coordinated and administered.
• Camps, where resources may be kept.
• Helibase/Helispot, where helicopter operations are conducted.
  The terms "base camp" and "rendezvous" which are sometimes used in SAR, are not in the ICS vocabulary, and their use should be discouraged.

• Resource Descriptions. Major resources—including personnel, facilities, and major equipment and supply items—used to support incident management activities are given common names and are "typed" with respect to their capabilities, to help avoid confusion. ICS identities resources as tactical or support resources.
• Tactical Resources. Personnel and major items of equipment used in the operation.
• Support Resources. All other resources required to support the incident (for example, food, communications equipment, supplies).
  In English, the expressions "type of resource" and "kind of resource" could be used interchangeably. Not so under ICS. The word "Kind" describes what the resource is, while the word "Type" describes its capability. For example, a helicopter is a kind of resource.
• Divisions and Groups are ways of partitioning an incident into manageable pieces. A Division is a geographical region established using boundaries. For example, if there were 12 regions to search, that exceeds the span of control, then the search area could be divided into two Divisions, called Division A and Division B, each containing 6 regions. A Group is a collection of people established by function, that is, what it does. For example, the Medical Group consists of the following people, or the Investigative Group consists of the following people.
• SAR Buzzwords. More specific to SAR are the following important words that everyone involved with the management of a SAR incident should understand: Place Last Seen (PLS), Last Known Position (LKP), Initial Planning Point (IPP), Consensus, Probability of Area (POA), Rest of the World (ROW), Probability of Detection (POD), and Cumulative Probability of Detection (CPOD).
• Plain Language. The use of plain language, rather than 10-codes, in an emergency response is the ICS norm.

 
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