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* Welcome New NASAR Members and
Happy Thanksgiving
* NASAR Member Dues Increase as Member Benefits Expand
* Who Let The Dogs Fly? The US Coast Guard!
* Urban Alzheimer's Case
* Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)Used in First Rescue
* PLB Now Available for Rent
* HURREVAC Funding Increases in '03 and '04 Budgets
* Emergency Management Institute Enrollment Opens
* Call for "Water Rescue" Papers for Special Journal Issue
* U.S. Fire Academy Develops CD-Based GIS Tutorial
* OSHA ICS Training Tool Online
* Avalanche Management Book Available
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Online version at www.SARNEWS.com 11/27/03
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Welcome New NASAR Members and Happy Thanksgiving
To all of our US readers, Happy Thanksgiving. For our readers from the
other 43 countries, everyone in SAR remains thankful for those who
support us, our families, and our teammates. We would like to welcome
more than 1000 new NASAR members who have been added to the distribution
list. SARNEWS.com is delivered approximately twice a month via e-mail.
If you are interested in viewing past issues, you will find them
archived at www.sarnews.com. If you wish to unsubscribe follow the
directions at the bottom. We don't under any circumstances release,
sell, or rent your e-mail address to anyone else.
http://www.sarnews.com
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NASAR Member Dues Increase as Member Benefits Expand
The NASAR Board of Directors voted today to increase membership dues
effective January 1, 2004. Dues levels have remained unchanged since 1996,
but the cost of living and the implementation of new member benefits made
this small increase necessary.
Individual members - Now $49; will be $54
Corporate members - Now $250; will be $265
Organizational members - Now $150; will be $165
Life members - Now $1250; no increase
The $20 initiation fee charged to all "new" members will remain the same.
In exchange for the dues increase, members will receive an electronically-
encoded plastic membership card containing evidence of their NASAR
certification levels, training completed, and photo identification.
This "Red Card" system is expected to provide SAR professionals and local
response authorities with a reliable means of verifying a person's
credentials.
Cards will be issued beginning early in 2004.
http://www.nasar.org/?s=news&id=106&c=8
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Who Let The Dogs Fly? The US Coast Guard!
Coast Guard helicopter 6507 from the Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans
flew to the Slidell airport to work with the Louisiana Search and Rescue
(LASAR) Dog Team on helicopter operations in the event the two units
would ever need to work together on a search and rescue case.
Upon arrival at the Slidell airport, the crew was introduced to fourteen
dogs and their handlers. The training started off with an orientation
for the dogs and their handlers. An overview was given outlining
survival equipment onboard, basic hoisting procedures, and crew
expectations during flight. Following the briefs, each handler and dog
stepped into the helicopter while it was shut down and sat in the
position they would ride in later that morning, familiarizing themselves
with seat belt operation and egress points. Then each handler and dog had
a chance for a dry run climbing into the rescue basket while it sat on the
ground outside of the helicopter. Some handlers even had the chance to
exhibit their creativity getting themselves and a large dog complete with
long tail into the basket simultaneously.
Once every person had experienced a dry run, the crew took each handler
and their dog for a short flight around the Slidell airport with each
getting experience crawling into the basket and getting hoisted out onto
the ground following landing. Overall it was a very productive morning
providing valuable training to the Louisiana SAR Dog team and a great
opportunity for the Coast Guard to spend time with some well behaved
dogs! If you would like to find more information on the LASAR Dog team
visit their website at:
www.lasardogs.org
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Urban Alzheimer's Case
Alzheimer's cases almost always pose a challenge to searchers. Urban
cases may even be more of a difficulty. This case points out the value
of not ignoring the improbable when no other explanation seems likely.
Remember to look up the next time you go searching.
http://www.eadt.co.uk/content/news/NewsStory.asp?Brand=EADOnline&Category=News&ItemId=IPED19+Nov+2003+22%3A32%3A51%3A563
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Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) Used in First Rescue
A Cleveland man was rescued Nov. 14 through the help of a personal
locator beacon (PLB) and efforts of Air Force Rescue Coordination Center
officials.
The rescue marks the first such use of personal locator beacons in the
contiguous United States. Carl Skalak was in the Adirondack Mountains of
upstate New York when he was snowed in at his campsite. Is your SAR team
prepared if called upon? To learn more:
http://www.af.mil/stories/story.asp?storyID=123006038
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PLBs Now Available for Rent
Many in the SAR communtiy feel that PLBs will not become widely available
due to their high cost. However, a recent press release announces that
they are available for rent and many outdoor stores are considering
renting them to their customers.
PLB Rentals, LLC has announced the launch of an on-line rental service
for Personal Locator Beacons (PLB's). Approved by the FCC and NOAA for
use in the United States in July of this year, PLB's are hand held
devices that when activated transmit a signal that is detected by
satellites which then provides location and identification information
to the appropriate Search and Rescue agencies.
"Our goal is to provide affordable and easy access to PLB's for
individuals and families enjoying the wilderness", says Wayne Walcott,
Vice President and co-founder of PLB Rentals, LLC. "Getting these life
saving devices in people's hands, allows 'peace of mind' for the
outdoors enthusiasts and their families."
While the life saving benefit of having a PLB in the event of an
emergency is clear, at a purchase price of between $500 and $1000, the
cost can be prohibitive. Walcott believes the rental market for PLB's is
substantial, and at a typical rental rate of $49/week (plus $5 S&H)
nearly everyone can afford to be properly equipped, just in case.
http://www.plbrentals.com
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HURREVAC Funding Increases in '03 and '04 Budgets
For the first time, the National Hurricane Program budget
includes two years' worth of funding to ensure continuity for
the HURREVAC Hurricane Tracking software program. The new
funding will apply to the FY 2003 and 2004 budgets, making the
automatic storm-tracking program available through the 2005
hurricane season. Virginia emergency managers, who relied
heavily on the computer program to update current and forecast
storm data and display the track of Hurricane Isabel, asked FEMA
to support a two-year allocation rather than annual requests for
the approximately $200,000 to $250,000 a year HURREVAC costs to
operate.
http://www.hurrevac.com/
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Emergency Management Institute Enrollment Opens
FEMA's Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, Md. is now
accepting applications for its second semester residential
program, which begins April 1 and ends Sept. 30, 2004. The
enrollment and application period opened Nov. 1 and closes Dec.
31.
Learn more
http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/
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Call for "Water Rescue" Papers for Special Journal Issue
The "International Journal of Water Resources Development" (IJWRD) is
seeking paper submissions for a special issue on water and disasters.
Contributions could be empirical studies, case histories,
conceptual-theoretical investigations, policy perspectives,
institutional analysis, and risk analysis of water rescue among others.
All papers selected for consideration will be peer-reviewed. The issue
will be released in June 2005.
Possible topics include, but are not limited to, integrated disaster
risk management's application to floods and famines, institutional
dimensions of flood risk management, case histories of major flood
disasters or famines, public-private partnerships, water impacts on
earthquakes, hurricanes, and typhoons, human and societal hazards of
floods and famines, information dissemination, and the cultural
context of floods and famines.
Submit papers in triplicate (1 electronic
version and 2 hardcopies) to: Chennat Gopalakrishnan,
e-mail: chennat@hawaii.edu.
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U.S. Fire Academy Develops CD-Based GIS Tutorial
Every year, more fire departments are implementing GIS in their
departments as the tool of choice for geographical analysis and
display of department activities. To facilitate this, the U.S. Fire
Academy (USFA) has released a first edition CD-ROM based GIS Tutorial.
This CD-ROM serves as an introduction to GIS for the fire service and
offers links to more advanced information and key resources, including
the United States National Grid - North American Datum 1983
(USNG-NAD83) standard.
Included with the CD-ROM is a video called "Mapping the Future of
Fire." This video shows community "enterprise GIS" concepts and real
fire department uses for GIS, on the apparatus and in the office,
implemented from scratch for the Wilson, North Carolina, Fire
Department.
The USFA NFIRS/GIS Introduction and Tutorial can be obtained at no
cost from the USFA publications center. Click on the link below and then
click on GIS tutorial CD listed under featured publications.
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/applications/publications/
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OSHA ICS Training Tool Online
The Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration
(OSHA) announces its latest web-based training tool on the Incident
Command System (ICS). The web site highlights planning, preparation
and the implementation of an ICS system, and includes a section on
safety aspects outlining OSHA standards that affect ICS workers. It also
provides additional guidance information applicable to emergency
response safety and health.
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/ics/index.html
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Avalanche Management Book Available
"Snow Avalanche Management in Forested Terrain," a Ministry of
Forests, Forest Science Program of British Columbia publication, is
available online in PDF format. The book addresses snow and avalanche
phenomena in a forestry setting and outlines harvest design and
silvicultural strategies to reduce avalanche risk.
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/Docs/Lmh/Lmh55.htm
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