Trackergd
Verified SAR Manager and Tracker - Retired
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2013
- Messages
- 4,371
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I did not have a hand in this search even though it was almost in my back yard, however I will make some comments:
1. In PA, SAR teams do NOT get any funding from the State like Fire Departments do. They buy equipment out of their own pockets.
2. In PA, SAR team members do NOT get any paid training like Fire Fighters do. They pay for all their training.
3. SAR team members only search areas assigned to their team by the Incident Commander. That could be anyone from the local Police Chief, Fire Chief or Park Manager. Very few LE and Fire Officers have been certified as Search Managers by the PA Fire Academy, yet in most cases they do not relinquish their command status to a trained SAR Manager.
4. 99% of SAR team members do their utmost to find missing people, they give of their free time including taking vacation from work or losing pay to perform this service.
5. In PA there is quite a bit of organizational rivalry, and why SAR teams tend to be overshadowed or misused by Incident Commanders.
6. In PA there are still quite a few "podunk" Fire and Police Departments.
7. Many SAR team members suffer "critical incident stress" when they do not locate the missing person, or later when that person is found near an area they were assigned. They miss time from work and in some cases need counseling.
8. SAR teams pay astronomical insurance coverage out of their own pockets...no state aid at all.
Holding individual searchers accountable when you take the above into consideration is pure BS. Unless you go out and get the training and volunteer to do SAR work, you are talking smack about something you have little to no knowledge of. I did not go on this case as there were at least three teams I am aware of involved and the "water gets too muddy".
1. In PA, SAR teams do NOT get any funding from the State like Fire Departments do. They buy equipment out of their own pockets.
2. In PA, SAR team members do NOT get any paid training like Fire Fighters do. They pay for all their training.
3. SAR team members only search areas assigned to their team by the Incident Commander. That could be anyone from the local Police Chief, Fire Chief or Park Manager. Very few LE and Fire Officers have been certified as Search Managers by the PA Fire Academy, yet in most cases they do not relinquish their command status to a trained SAR Manager.
4. 99% of SAR team members do their utmost to find missing people, they give of their free time including taking vacation from work or losing pay to perform this service.
5. In PA there is quite a bit of organizational rivalry, and why SAR teams tend to be overshadowed or misused by Incident Commanders.
6. In PA there are still quite a few "podunk" Fire and Police Departments.
7. Many SAR team members suffer "critical incident stress" when they do not locate the missing person, or later when that person is found near an area they were assigned. They miss time from work and in some cases need counseling.
8. SAR teams pay astronomical insurance coverage out of their own pockets...no state aid at all.
Holding individual searchers accountable when you take the above into consideration is pure BS. Unless you go out and get the training and volunteer to do SAR work, you are talking smack about something you have little to no knowledge of. I did not go on this case as there were at least three teams I am aware of involved and the "water gets too muddy".
