RECALL: 8mm Sewn-Cord Products by Sterling Rope Co., Inc

IMPORTANT RECALL INFO:
• 3-page PDF recall notice
• Web site

Man-tracking: Lost-track procedures

During the man-tracking process, it is critical that you NEVER walk on and destroy the sign, but walk on the side of the sign line.

Make sure that you mark every critical partial print or sign at intervals, so that you have confirmed sign to return to if you lose the sign line.

Christian Nellemann

This article was adapted from Sign and The Art of Tracking—A Guide to Support Law Enforcement Tracking and Anti-Poaching Operations, by Christian Nellemann, UNEP/GRID, Arendal, Norway, Rapid Response; with Jack Kearney, U.S. Border Patrol, retired; Stig Nårstad, Norwegian Police; and the INTERPOL Environmental Crime Programme. Copyright © 2011 by Interpol, Lyon, France; and UNEP/GRID, Arendal, Norway. Excerpted with expressed written permission. All rights Reserved.

While you should never move beyond the last visual sign, sometimes the speed required and the use of track traps to overcome the time-distance gap may cause you to lose the sign.

Remember to confirm the sign line as often as possible, and in the case of lost children or similar – never lose it, but take the time needed.

If you do loose the sign, follow these lost-track procedures:

1. If track is lost – STOP!
2. Move back 5–30 m to last known certain track and look for likely route of evasion.
3. Cut around specifically targeting track traps – and look for confirmatory sign.
4. Circle around and look for track traps in funneling terrain, moving as perpendicular on track as possible and stepping only where you will clearly see any imprint/sign that you make, if possible.
5. Confirm fresh sign or print.
6. Assign spoor again to dog along with encouragement.
7. If track is lost along road, trafficated area, in water or in dry vegetation, cut along sides or in track traps until you find the exit.
8. Re-confirm track and spoor and continue.
9. If unsuccessful, go back to last positive sign/print/track (marked!) and re-try. If necessary go step-by-step.
10. Re-deploy dog/tracker on new route.

Understanding what happens to your body in extreme temperatures

View hi-res image here.

Source: Canoe.ca via The Beat of Montreal  via our friends at LandSAR New Zealand

How to use a prusik-minding pulley (PMP)

Pulleys with side plates designed to accommodate prusik brakes are referred to as "Prusik Minding Pulleys" (PMPs). These pulleys are designed with tolerances that allow appropriately-sized ropes to run through them, but they cleanly block the passage of a prusik hitch.

Source: This article was Adapted from Vertical Academy, by Tom Briggs, Copyright © 2013. All Rights Reserved. Excerpted with expressed written permission. To purchase your copy of this book, point your Internet browser here.

Tom Briggs is a fire service veteran of over 33 years and author of Vertical Academy, a vocational rope rescue textbook. Before retiring as a Captain in 2008, he was assigned to the Special Operations Division at Metro Fire Sacramento, California as the Rescue Services Manager. He was also a Rescue Team Leader for FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Taskforce 7. An instructor for the State of California and Rescue 3 International, Tom coordinated and taught many training courses specializing in the rope, trench, confined space, and water rescue disciplines to scores of agencies, often alongside many well-known rescue training luminaries.

The National Association of Search and Rescue (NASAR) recognized Tom’s training contributions in 1996 with the Higgins Langley Award.

Prusiks rigged with a PMP create reliable, hands-free progress capture mechanisms capable of holding 1,000 to 2,500 lbs. before slipping, depending on the rope and cord used.

PMPs usually have side plates that present a flat obstacle to the prusik hitch that is perpendicular to the rope direction. They must be rigged and operated properly for safe, smooth operation.

Prusiks integrated with PMPs for the purpose of capturing the hauling progress of a pulley system will completely support the load when the haulers stop pulling, and engage if an accidental shock occurs.

For this reason, riggers must make sure that the prusik of a self-tending PMP brake is in line with the axis of the carabiner it is connected to. The pulley will rock out of the way when the prusik brake engages.

Gravity has an effect on self-tending prusik brakes that are rigged horizontally. The prusik loop will, of course, tighten and slack as the operation proceeds.

In the slack state, there is potential for the cord to foul in the rigging and suck into the pulley.

This problem can be minimized by orienting the self-tending rig so that the prusik loop droops down and clear of the pulley when slack. The prusik hitch itself tends to stay snug and intact better when rigged this way as well.

Note: Riggers must ensure that the pulley is appropriate for the rope used, and that the rope enters and exits the pulley properly.

• The prusik hitch must stay intact and snug when the rope is moving while hauling the load up. 
• When the hauling rope incorrectly enters and exits the PMP at a wide angle, the prusik hitch sideswipes the side plates instead of contacting them flat and clean. This often results in the prusik getting partially sucked inside the pulley and loosening it enough to make it ineffective. This situation also increases friction and wear enough to damage the prusik cord and make hauling difficult. 
• Self-tending prusik brakes work best when the rope is parallel with itself as it winds in and out of the PMP. 
• Some PMPs are designed to tolerate wider angles, but they're not foolproof. 
• Monitor the rigging and make sure your self-tending brakes are well set up and working properly.

SAR dog distance alerts & how they can impact the search effort, by Marcia McMahon

The Rocky Mountain Region of the United States is famous for its unparalleled mountains, valleys, and foothills with their corresponding variations and weather. People love to come and climb, hike, fish, etc. and sometimes they get lost in the process.

Searches in this type of terrain quickly expand into miles and miles of area, should the subject not be found right away, not be noticed missing for several days, not have left any information as to their travel plans, etc. In these cases, clues become terribly valuable.

This article explores the training and use of Scent Discriminating Airscent Dogs and Cadaver Dogs for the purpose of aiding in the search effort to provide clues to further the search effort. It is to be emphasized that dogs are just one of the many specialized resources that work together to achieve a successful search outcome. When used properly, dogs can and should have a strong impact on the information available to help the search. 

This article was adapted from "SAR Dogs—Distance alerts & how they can impact the search effort," by Marcia McMahon, which was published in Issue No. 3 of Park Ranger—the magazine for SAR, Mountain Rescue, Cave Rescue, Heli-Ops, and Wildland Firefighting operators. Copyright © 2013. Published by TR Media Ltd in the United Kingdom. All Rights Reserved. Excerpted with expressed written permission. Subscribe today at www.RangerMagazine.com.

The thought on searches is all too often that either the dog team found the subject or it didn’t and no other information is retained from the debrief. However, dogs can very positively impact every search in one or more of the following ways:

1. Locate the subject.
2. Provide directional alerts in the general direction of the subject allowing for successful placement of other dog teams, foot teams, or helicopters in the next operational period. 
3. Indicate the subject is not in the area. 

For this article, “Alert” means when the dog enters, reacts to and follows scent and the corresponding body language. “Distance Alert” would be those alerts initiated from a minimum of ½ mile or more from the subject. Well-trained dogs can begin to follow scent from well over a mile away; even farther with nighttime downslopes above timberline or from subjects who have been missing for several days. 

  

Training

Traditional methods for working search dogs mandate using a grid pattern and working until the dog alerts and finds the subject or comes up with no positive indications. Using distance alerts , however, emphasizes a much stronger trust of the dog earned by careful training and education. Education is the key here, as the dog is learning to compile its scent information from quite far away, when properly trained, and to work the area on its own initiative if enough scent is present to draw him forward. This portion will briefly address the progression method of establishing the foundation for proper scent cone work. It will not address the issue of scent discrimination, which the dog should already have learned. 

It is expected the dog will always use a scent article or, in the case of the cadaver dog, the appropriate command. Depending on the terrain, time of year, and time the subject has been missing, scent discriminating dogs can be effective for up to 2-3 weeks (Bison Peak, Park Co, CO, 2011), even in the event that the subject is suspected of being deceased, which is almost never a known variable. These dogs can and will give accurate alerts in spite of how many searchers, hikers, etc. are in the area during the search. 

Basic scent cone education

When thinking about basic scent movement, envision water flowing down rivers-it will follow the path of least resistance. Scent is impacted by wind, terrain, temperature, vegetation, time of year, obstacles, etc. Heat makes scent rise upwards, sometimes causing it to loop up into the air and come down in a different location and flow onwards, bouncing and swirling unpredictably. Cool air helps the scent flow settle into more complete, careful downslope patterns. Then the wind will aggravate or enhance the entire process.

1. Start training with small areas of a specific terrain characteristic-i.e. down drainage with subject at top, bowl feature with subject higher in bowl, etc. These problems can be worked in a matter of minutes the scent cone from subject to dog will be continuous from the beginning and immediately workable by the dog. The goal is a find based on a hard hit scent cone. 
2. Continue the size of the problem, keeping the scent cone strong and continuous, but vary the terrain style. Always do 2-3 problems of the same terrain type in a row for sequential days so the scent cone work will be similar and the dog will learn the scent patterns. 
3. Remember that dogs learn from short problems when a new variable is introduced. Types of problems include:
   

   • up/down drainage,
   • cross drainage with subject placement on different sides with different wind directions,
   • intervening high ridges (features) with valley floors, 
   • looping culprits such as isolated aspen groves,
   • subjects in trees,
   • cross-ridge problems with scent gaps, etc.
     The list is endless; the point is to educate the dog and the handler, and let the dog educate itself so be able to figure out how to work increasingly longer scent cones.

4. As the dog learns, and it doesn’t take long, the distance involved can be increased so it is learning to work through scent pools and scent gaps (often confused with scent pools or negatives), interspersing short problems with the long problems to work on sharpening the brain skills and enthusiasm, while adding in new types of scent problems and endurance.
5. Always allow the dog to follow the nose pop. A trustworthy dog is a joy to watch working scent. Encourage him. If the dog can’t put enough pieces together, continue the grid from the new location and move on through the search area, following the dog as soon as it gets more information and wants to break the grid. As its confidence grows, and the dog’s faith in you to trust it, the farther the distance over which it will be able to work scent. 
6. Watch all body language, including scent rolling and grass biting. Your dog is not messing around when it does these. These are clues. GPS them. Clues come in packages - note and learn the clue patterns your dog uses while working scent and when it is not in scent. 
7. Include all types of weather and times of day/night in trainings. Understand when the dog is working scent and try to understand how that scent is travelling. Avoid the common mistake of calling quick negatives. These can very often be scent gaps. Think positive information and work forward from that location. 
8. Most problems should be known problems. This is the only way to understand what your dog is doing, learn to use the clues, and have the confidence to follow him. 

GPS work & direction

The GPS is the key to successful distance work. As your dog works, you will be marking its clues on your GPS, as well as the track. The fastest way to do this is to carry a small notebook in your harness and write down the number of the waypoint with a quick note and compass bearing (if applicable). This will begin in training when your dog starts becoming good at following his scent cones and the problems increase in size. Things to note especially in training will be scent rolls, nose pops with bearings, grass biting, ground scent analysis, etc. As you become more of a team, you will have your own clues that you recognize that are important to putting the scent picture together to try to determine the direction and location of your subject. 

For example, ground scent is particularly important to one of my dogs. This dog can pick his way right over a ridge by analyzing the line of ground scent that has deposited and the strength. Excessive ground scent can often mean the subject is fairly close. Why is the scent depositing so heavily in one spot? For relatively recently deceased subjects, the ground scent deposits can be extremely strong; some might misread the dog’s interest as trailing when it is actually “scent pecking”- trying to get a direction towards the subject to get into an airborne scent cone. 

At home, download the tracks and waypoints onto your mapping program, adding a description of each waypoint and directional arrows for alerts, as well as the start and find locations. Draw lines out from these waypoints according to the bearings and see how the triangulation flows. How do the alert directional lines line up with the find location? What terrain features are affecting direction and scent flow? 

For your training maps, all this information should be saved and printed onto topographical maps so you will be able to visualize the scent flow patterns as they are affected by the terrain and see, the dog’s style of working through these issues caused by terrain, wind, subject placement, etc. 

By studying the training maps, the handler will learn how to better work through difficult times on searches by hopefully recognizing similar terrain, etc. patterns from problems set up and studied in training so as to achieve a much more positive result on real searches. 

Information that will be relayed to base upon debrief for real searches 

The information above is mostly for the handler. When giving the results of your search to the search manager, you will relay only the important information: 

1. Coordinates of dog interests and alerts with bearings. 
2. High probability areas according to the above. 
3. If interest is high enough while searching, ask for the area ahead to be checked out by ground teams, helicopter, etc. 
4. Triangulation of all alerts (particularly if several dog teams bring information back to base) that might point to the high probability area for the subject. Mark the points with bearings and draw the lines well out across your map. 
5. What factors might be affecting your information? 
6. Do not give excess information. The search manager only needs the information that might directly lead the search forward. Don’t over emphasize, either. Misleading the search is a very bad thing. 
7. Negative areas, areas cleared, and holes that you missed in your area.

How search managers use this information

Good information from well-trained, reliable dogs teams can help further the search in a major way. In addition, having a “Dog Team Leader” or the equivalent at base to analyze the dog information and consolidate it all onto one map to look for the areas of dog interests and where they lead can give a good idea as to where the subject might be and assist in a find in the next operational period. 

1. Record interests from all dog teams, with coordinates and bearings, onto one base map. Include the cleared areas and areas not searched. 
2. Draw lines forward in the direction of the bearings looking for triangulation of interests.
3. If dog alerts appeared skewed, look for terrain features, weather issues, etc. and how those might be affecting the direction of the alerts. (Think rivers and how the water runs around the rocks, eddies, etc. when thinking about scent movement through wind and terrain.) 
4. Draw the lines well out; find out the strength of the alerts, as lighter alerts with lots of scent gaps can mean the subject might be quite a bit farther away, and circle your high probability area(s). Dogs jumping for scent in the air can mean several things, such as subject is up high somewhere or the scent is having to bounce over a very high ridge, rock formation, etc. to travel across the area. 
5. Do not redirect all resources to the area; continue the search as you would normally for any other clues, but do send enough appropriate resources out to the dogs’ area of interest to check it out thoroughly. 
6. It must be remembered the subject might also be moving which might explain inconsistency in alerts - but direction of travel can be determined by noting the direction of the alerts. 
7. In the case of a deceased subject, several issues exist:
   • Scent from recently deceased parties will manifest as fairly strong scent, along with very strong ground scent deposits that might look like trailing, especially when humidity is high, evaporative conditions exist, etc. 
   • Scent from deceased subjects who have been out for several months will manifest quite differently - this type of scent tends to “pool” as well as set up as scent pools in different locations due to the repeated depositing of scent, from possibly different sites (depending on the condition of the subject). Often the scent pool can be stronger than the source. It is critical to research the history of missing persons in the area, including animal activity, if relevant, to understand the entire picture. 
8. Take note of patterns in the GPS track. A long line with consistent direction followed by a sudden change in course could mean the subject is close. The change in direction might be caused by heavy scent pooling or by intervening terrain that suddenly interferes with the scent and widens the cone. A high probability area in this type of situation could be farther along the original line of scent. 
9. Location of the subject also impacts the strength of the scent - If subject is up high in the wind, scent will be much stronger and easier to follow than that of a subject down in the bottom of a cold drainage, etc. 

Again, dogs are just another one of all the wonderful resources available to help in the search for the missing person. However, scent discriminating airscent and cadaver dogs well-trained in large area distance alerting can have quite a successful impact on difficult searches involving moderate to difficult terrain in the Rocky Mountain Region.

The 2014 edition of the National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA's) code 1670—which includes revised standards for "Wilderness Search & Rescue" operations and training—has been released

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has just released the 2014 edition of NFPA 1670—Standard on Operations and Training for Technical Search and Rescue Incidents.

The 2014 edition of NFPA 1670 replaces the last edition, which was published in 2009; the next edition is scheduled to be released in 2017.

Source: This article was adapted from NFPA 1670—Standard on Operations and Training for Technical Search and Rescue Incidents, by the National Fire Protection Association. Copyright © 2014. All Rights Reserved. Excerpted with expressed written permission.To purchase a copy of this standard, point your Internet browser here. To view this standard online—for free (read-only doc)—point your Internet browser here.

NFPA 1670 addresses standards for operations and training in the following rescue disciplines:

• Rope Rescue
• Structural Collapse Search and Rescue
• Confined Space Search and Rescue
• Vehicle Search and Rescue
• Water Search and Rescue
• Wilderness Search and Rescue (reproduced below)
• Trench and Excavation Search and Rescue
• Machinery Search and Rescue
• Cave Search and Rescue
• Mine and Tunnel Search and Rescue
• Helicopter Search and Rescue
• Tower Rescue (new for 2014)
• Animal Technical Rescue (new for 2014)

 

NFPA 1670 document scope:

• This standard shall identify and establish levels of functional capability for conducting operations at technical search and rescue incidents while minimizing threats to rescuers. 
• This standard was developed to define levels of preparation and operational capability that should be achieved by any authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) that has responsibility for technical rescue operations. These defined levels provide an outline of a system used to manage an incident efficiently and effectively, to maximize personnel safety, and to bring about the successful rescue of victims and the eventual termination of the event. The system should be followed to increase the capabilities of the AHJ to deal successfully with even the most complex incident. The system progresses from the simple basic awareness level to the operations level, and, finally, to the technician level. It should be understood that, as the system expands, the requirements for training, operational skills, management ability, and types and amounts of equipment also expand. 
• The requirements of this standard shall apply to organizations that provide response to technical search and rescue incidents, including those not regulated by governmental mandates. 
• Organizations providing such rescue, fire suppression, and emergency services can include fire departments, law enforcement, emergency medical services, and utility, public works, and rescue organizations. 
• It is not the intent of this document to be applied to individuals and their associated skills and/or qualifications. 
• While organizations can meet the requirements of this standard, individuals and their skills and qualifications are outside of the scope of this document. NFPA1006, Standard for Technical Rescuer Professional Qualifications, addresses rescue technician professional qualifications

 

Wilderness Search and Rescue—standards for organizational operations and training at the Awareness, Operations, and Technician levels:

Note: AHJ = Authority Having Jurisdiction; A vertical rule indicates a substantive change from the 2009 edition of the NFPA 1670 standard; A black bullet (•) indicates a complete deletion of one or more paragraphs from the 2009 edition of the NFPA 1670 standard; An asterisk (*) indicates explanatory material can be found in the section of the standard entitled Annex A: Explanatory Materials.

Sweet deals at the SAR Shop: 25% off all SAR gear thru February 28th

The SAR Shop.

Turn your iPhone 5 into a thermal imaging camera with a 100-meter range using the FLIR ONE iPhone Case

The FLIR ONE iPhone case significantly ups the imaging powers of your iPhone 5 or 5s, making it into a thermal imaging camera that lets you see heat signatures from either live people and animals from up to 100 meters away..read article here.

Manufacturer info.

Source: JoCoSAR Blog.

Man-Tracking – Capturing Modern Criminals with Ancient Skills

Good article tactical tracking during manhunts by Gabriel Russell, on the Law Enforcement Today Web site...

A worst case scenario become common occurrence, savage acts of violence followed by flight into the wilds. A rapist, child-molester or murderer flees from the urban scene of their crime to a remote rural location and poses a potentially lethal threat to anyone he encounters. A manhunt begins. Local jurisdictions converge and cooperate to offer chase. Most of the officers involved lack the training, experience and equipment to best deal with the conditions.

It’s the worst crimes that inspire this desperate act. A perpetrator who faces certain life in prison or the death penalty may use violence to avoid capture. The longer they are on the loose the greater the danger to the public. Not only are the officers involved often not fully prepared to deal with the situation, but though the size and scope of the operation demands a multi-agency response, the participating departments are typically ill-equipped to conduct joint operations under these unique conditions...

Read full article here.

January's desktop calendar is a Boeing Ch-47D in service with the California Army National Guard

• Widescreen width
• Standard width

How to build a trench-style snow shelter

My snow shelter of choice when the temps dip below minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit (standing temps, not windchill) on a multi-day, dead-of-winter operation is the trench shelter. And if I don't have enough snow depth for a trench, then I simply shovel it into a pile that I can dig a trench into.

Source: This article was adapted from the Field Manual for the United States Antarctic Program (USAP), 6th edition (2001), edited by Bill McCormick. Prepared by the Raytheon Polar Services Company (RPSC) field support staff for the Office of Polar Programs (OPP), National Science Foundation (NSF).

A trench with a tarpaulin roof is the quickest shelter you can build. This is very important in an emergency.

• The size of the trench you dig is dependent on the size of the covering and on the support items used to span the trench. Support items could include skis, ski poles, bamboo flags, rope(s) stretched tight, etc.
• Span the trench with support items, cover with a tarp, and anchor the edges of the tarp with snow blocks or heavy equipment. Improvise with trench coverings. A trench can be covered with a tent fly, skidoo cowlings and covers, Nansen sleds, sled tanks, plywood, pallets, cardboard, plastic, etc.
• Shovel a light skiff of snow over the tarp to add extra insulation; too much snow will collapse the tarp. 

December 2013 issue of NOAA's National Weather Service "Aware" magazine is now online.

The December 2013 issue of NOAA's National Weather Service "Aware Magazine" is now online.

Ex-Navy SEAL will try to outwit world's elite man-tracking teams on Discovery Channel's new "Lone Target" TV series

This could be an interesting man-tracking show, according to Discovery.com...

Let the games begin! Discovery Channel is going on the ultimate chase in a real-life game of cat-and-mouse, pitting ex-Navy SEAL Joel Lambert against the world's most elite military and law enforcement tracking teams in new series LONE TARGET. 

Video clip from show.

With only what he can carry on his back, Joel will play an extreme version of hide-and-seek in unknown treacherous terrain with nothing but a basic survival kit and canteen of water as he attempts to evade capture in 48-hours or less.

Using diversionary tactics and survival techniques gained from his 10-years of experience as a Navy SEAL, will Joel's training, skill and cunning be enough to help him escape? Find out on LONE TARGET Wednesday, January 1 at 10 PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel. The series will also air on Discovery Channel in 224 countries and territories internationally under the title MANHUNT, beginning in February 2014.

In each episode of LONE TARGET, Joel is dropped at an unknown secret starting point, and with a small head start, must evade capture from a different elite military or law enforcement tracking team and make his extraction - in less than two days - or risk capture.


Following the chase side-by-side with cameras capturing the action from both perspectives, viewers get to experience first-hand the thrill of the hunt as he is being pursued by: the U.S. Army's Phantom Recon unit in Arizona, the Straz Graniczna border guard in Poland, the South African International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF), the Army Scout Rangers in the Philippines, Panama's elite anti-drug force, SENAFRONT and the South Korean National Police SWAT unit.

With Joel's reputation and the trackers' national pride at risk, the stakes are extraordinarily high. An expert in escape and evasion, Joel's background has well-positioned him to prey on each unit's hidden flaws-but evading highly specialized military tracking units and combating dehydration, hunger and the natural elements proves to be a greater challenge. Will Joel succeed or will he fall victim to the military or the environment?

Source: Discovery Press Web; Tactical Tracking Operations School

"Emergency Management Magazine" 2013 Year In Review

Read it here.