SEARCH PLANNING

1. SEARCH PLANNING Dec 2011 CANADIAN COAST GUARD AUXILIARY - PACIFIC

2. SAR Briefing

3. SAR Briefing The SAR Mission Coordinator (SMC) shall; • conduct briefings prior to launching or diverting resources, • give all relevant details of the distress and all instructions, • discuss the mission objective and all foreseeable hazards.

4. SAR Briefing Known risks may include; • heavy weather, • poor visibility, • hazardous bar, sea and swell conditions, • critical navigation, • placing personnel on disabled vessels.

5. SAR Briefing The most vital information to immediately record is: • Location of emergency. • Nature of distress. • Number of persons onboard. • Description of the craft.

6. SAR Briefing • Response activity can be started once these items are known. • Also, realize that this may be the only contact made with the distressed craft or reporting source (e.g., the radio broke, power was lost, or the boat sank).

7. Resource Selection

8. Resource Selection This is dependant upon: • Expected distance to travel • Expected distance offshore • Expected duration of the mission • Number of potential passengers • Equipment status • Day/Night (radar, NVG, lights) • SRU speed

9. Mission Planning Vessel considerations • Vessel Capabilities and Limitations • Vessel Readiness • Crew Experience and Expertise • Weather • Towing Capabilities • Habitability for crew and passengers • Ability for helicopters to safely hoist off

10. Mission Acceptance • Coxswains have the ultimate decision to accept the mission.

11. Crew Briefing • Describes the Mission Objective • Lays out the Duties and Responsibilities • Sets Positive Climate for Teamwork • Allows Improvement Goals

12. SAR Operations

13. SAR Operations • Provide assistance to those in trouble. • Conduct searches of missing vessels and persons. • Deliver supplies and equipment to scene. • Rescue survivors and deliver to safe place.

14. SRU Duties • Prepare for search • Search en-route • Contact OSC 15 min. prior to arrival • Execute search or rescue plan • Maintain communications with OSC • Survivor / Debris / signal notification

15. Initial Response • Without a specific SAR Mission Coordinator tasking, the first arriving SRU shall; 1. Report on-scene conditions to the SMC 2. Prepare for an initial search of the area 3. Contact other surface SRU’s 4. Contact airborne SRU’s

16. On Scene

17. On Scene • Report on scene conditions • Deploy a DMB, noting time and position • Watch for Distress Signals • Conduct Searches (Visual & Aural) • Report problems, modifications, in SITREPs • Remain on track

18. Distress Signals • A distressed vessel has a limited number of visual distress signals, if any at all, and experienced mariners usually do not activate these signals until they actually see or hear an SRU. • You should consider the use of audible signals such as an air horn or whistle when searching for survivors.

19. Distress Signals • Pyrotechnic devices ( not distress flares) may be used to make the SRU’s presence known to the distressed vessel. • Any signal used, whether visual or audible, must not be mistaken by other SRUs as a distress signal.

20. Aural Searches • Aural searches – Surface SRUs should make every effort to reduce background noises, and on occasion consider stopping the engines, if safe, to permit faint calls for help to be heard. • When searching, if possible, lookouts should be posted away from the engines and radios.

21. Search Reports • Reports – SITREPs upon arrival on scene and whenever important information needs to be passed. • Operations and position reports should be made on a regular basis. • ON TRACK – Stay focused. Search! Don’t just navigate a perfect search pattern.

22. Search Action Plan • Situation • Search Area • Execution • Coordination • Communications • Reports

23. Scanning Techniques • Block System • Short, regularly spaced eye movements • Do not exceed 10 degrees per movement • Observed for at least 2 seconds • Horizontal, back-and-forth preferred

24. Sightings and Identification • What rescue method using what resources will be most appropriate, with 1. the prevailing and forecast conditions, 2. number of persons located, out of how many on board, 3. injured persons and medical urgency, 4. proximity of danger, 5. type of vessel, and how many vessels 6. other vessels in the vicinity

25. Sightings and Identification 7. effect of weather conditions on SAR operations, 8. time of day and other visibility considerations 9. risks to SAR personnel 10.any hazardous materials

26. Inability to Help • Let survivors know you see them, by flashing searchlights. • If unable to perform rescue, try and let survivors know, and collect and transmit all necessary information which will help allocate other resources, as listed in section on last pages.

27. Night and Reduced Visibility Searches • Timeliness of daytime search may prevent night search. • Search Tactics will depend upon the SRU and the search object

28. Search Tactics • Use search lights, whistle, horn and pyrotechnic devices • Make rescue vessel’s presence known • Use all available sensors • Reduce background noises • Check buoys • Post lookouts

29. Search Tactics • Search tactics. Searchers should utilize all possible means of detecting search objects, visual, electronic, and aural. • The following should be considered in the planning and conduct of a reduced visibility search:

30. Search Tactics 1. The SMC should be fully aware of on scene conditions, as searches begin and any changes that occur during the search. Search units should pass to the SMC (or OSC if one is assigned), conditions upon arrival on scene and any changes. 2. At night all unnecessary lighting on search units should be secured.

31. Search Tactics 3. If the distressed craft or survivors are known to have distress signals, it is important for search units to make their presence known in hopes of getting the survivors to signal. This tactic may be most appropriate for early on searches.

32. Search Tactics 4. If a debris field is discovered, it may be appropriate for search crews to use lights or flares to illuminate the area to enable a better visual search of the concentrated area.

33. Search Tactics 5. Ambient light sources should be exploited in a search. a. With bright shoreline lights, light colored objects or objects with reflective material in particular may be illuminated enough for the unaided eye to detect, while detection using NVGs will be greatly improved.

34. Search Tactics b. A full or near full moon can also provide enough light for the unaided eye to detect an object and greatly improves NVG effectiveness. The reflection of the moon on the water also can be used to search for objects as it “moves” across the surface with the search unit’s motion. This is particularly effective in calm conditions with the moon low in the sky.

35. Search Tactics c. Large backlit objects may also provide a detectable profile when searching along a well-lit shoreline. 6. Electronic sensors should be set according to search object. 7. On surface search units the engines should be secured and all other noise minimized in order to call out to and hear calls from survivors.

36. Search Tactics 8. Search units should check buoys and fixed aids in the vicinity.

37. Electronic Search Methods Vessels • Surface Vessel Radar • Forward Looking Infra Red (FLIR) • Night Vision Goggles (NVG) Aircraft • Forward Looking Airborne Radar (FLAR) • Side Looking Airborne radar (SLAR)

38. Survivor Debrief • Cause of accident or distress; • Age, physical condition, experience of survivors and fatalities; • Determine whether search resources were seen or heard; • Times of significant events

39. Drift Theory

40. Drift Theory • Knowledge of the search object’s drift is very important. • The better the drift of the search object is known, the more likely it will be found.

41. Datum • The most probable location of a search object corrected for drift.

42. Datum • The expected location of the search object at any given time is known as the datum for that time. • Datum is a reference position, line or area that is used as a reference for describing the distribution of possible search object locations and for planning searches.

43. Initial Position • Where and when a distress event occurred. • Three ways to identify a position: 1. Position Known (Point) 2. Track Known (Line) 3. General Area Known (Area)

44. Drift • Drift is the movement of a search object caused by forces present in the environment. • Datum is calculated by determining which drift forces will affect the search object, selecting the most appropriate ones, and calculating a vector for each. • The vectors are then added to determine a drift direction and speed.

45. Drift • The length of time between the time of the incident and the desired datum time is then applied to obtain a drift direction and distance vector. • This is added to the initial position to determine datum using standard navigational procedures.

46. Drift • Drift distances should be calculated using the time between the last known position and a time selected by the SMC.

47. Drift Theory • Two forces cause objects on the ocean to move or drift: 1. Wind 2. Current • Attempt to quantify each force affecting drift, which is best done by vector, with bearing and length of the vector representing target direction and speed respectively.

48. Drift Theory LKP Total Water Current Wind Direction Leeway Drift DATUM

49. Drift Theory • Sea Current (SC) is the residual current when currents caused by tides and local winds are subtracted from local current. • It is the main large-scale flow of ocean waters. • Near shore or in shallow waters, sea current is usually less important than the tidal current or the local wind-driven current.

50. Drift Theory • Total Water Current (TWC) is the vector sum of currents affecting the search object. • The best information on total water current is usually obtained from a Datum Marker Buoy (DMB).