DEBRIEF: SAROP
Wil s
(9-10 Dec 2014)
Venue:
Eastern District Police HQ, Monday 2 February 2015 @ 1745hrs
Present:
Wayne Steed,
Mike Hawthorne, Hamish Tait, David Harrington, Deb Harrington, Craig Smith, Peter Julian,
Paul O'Leary, Hamish Fraser, Blair Pryce, Vicki Holden, Peter Bowker, Andy Walker, Lou McNutt, Tui Craven,
Jeroen van Ameelsvoort
Apologies:
John Montgomerie
Incident:
• Call came in 2130hrs 9/12/14. Urgent response.
• Problems were experienced with the etext system at the time. At least 2 key field volunteers received
the 1st txt however did not receive the 2nd txt with details of where to meet/time etc.
• Suggested solution:
If no follow-up received within 1 hr, volunteers to contact David H for an update.
• Meeting was at the Napier Station. There were issues gaining access to the building at that time of
night.
Arrival on Site:
• IMT/MSU set-up no issues. Good facilities were available although no internet access.
• There was a problem with equipment, with critical gear (GPS, torches, 1st aid kits) being left behind at
the SAR Store in Napier.
Police to instigate a process/checklist to ensure all gear is available in future.
• A family member was allocated to each team to help in orientation/navigate the garden at night. This
was invaluable.
• Taskings went well, no issues with what was required.
• Team members -no issues although some difficulty gaining a mental picture/orientation of the site
when working in the dark. It was suggested that the
LKP be marked on the maps issued to teams.
• Larger scale maps were OK. Need to be aware to add grid ref's to the maps.
Searching at Night
• Has advantages for tracking, apart from the orientation issues.
• Require bulk batteries for night searching.
Police to ensure a good supply of both AA and AAA batteries
are available.
Daylight
• Fatigue issues mentioned by one LandSAR member.
• Team leaders/members to monitor and manage. A good time to have a rest, food, drink etc is that time
just before daybreak.
• Consideration given to bringing in additional resources. (neighbouring LandSAR groups), giving them a
heads-up.
Comms
• IMT couldn't communicate with the Rescue Helicopter.
Wayne to get and advise the appropriate
channel.
• Need to improve on gaining additional information on the area from the field teams. With technology
photo's could be emailed to a designated email address.
• Contact cellphone numbers/email address to be incorporated into team taskings.
• Additional radio's per team would be beneficial. It was suggested that simple 2-way radio's be obtained
to enable communication between team members, particularly in thick/difficult terrain)
• Additional GPS units or data loggers would provide better information as to areas searched.
• It would be helpful to obtain the helicopter log immediately, or alternatively have the Observer carry a
GPS and download onto the map at end of the flight.
Catering
• Food had been organised for later in the night however the decision was made to stand teams down for
the day before that arrived. Police are committed to looking after everyone.
• The Service Level Agreement between LandSAR/Police agrees that volunteers will look after themselves
for the 1st 24hrs. Wayne advised the Police would try and cut that time back where possible.
• Teams via Team Leader to advise IMT if there are any issues being experienced/require supplies
General
• It would be helpful to have more profiling available on the subject and lost person behaviour as part of
the briefing prior to being deployed, and updated as further information becomes available.
• Consider the use of outside LandSAR groups to take over to continue the operation for additional
periods where required. Use of local volunteers and their expert local knowledge invaluable.
Meeting closed 1910hrs