Mission Manager: Manage Missions and Your Team

Each month you need to submit hours to VFU. Every year you need to maintain a variety of certifications with expiration dates. Each month you train, and need to coordinate attendance. Every team deals with these activities. A few months ago, while at the State SAR Coordinators meeting, I listened to a presentation by a San Diego SAR volunteer who has written some software to help manage missions and teams. The product is called Mission Manager, and is available free of charge to SAR teams. It is a web app that has two funtions: It can be used to manage day-to-day team information and it can be used to manage a mission. The app is highly customizable, and examples of team information that can be tracked include: roster, an hour/miles log, attendance, issued gear, and certifications (with expiration dates). On the mission managing side you can generate a variety of maps with various coordinate systems and datums, generate standard ICS forms, track information such as clues and radio traffic during a search, and track teams in real-time via a smartphone app (Android, iOS, and Blackberry). It is a comprehensive piece of work. As such, a full review is not well suited to the space available here, but I will hit some of the highlights.

 Mapping

All manner of maps are possible with this tool. Google maps, USGS topo maps, and USFS maps are a few examples. In addition to these maps, there also exists the ability to overlay point of interest data as well as live weather data. While this is a web app, with a little forethought, you can download maps ahead of time to enable use without an internet connection. In fact, I have easily replaced MapTech Terrain Navigator for live search mapping duties including GPS uploads. With a good data connection it has the benefit of a single map that can be updated by multiple people, and viewed by anybody with a web connection and the appropriate permissions.

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Omega Pacific Recalls Certain Quik-Lok Carabiners

Airway Heights, WA — Omega Pacific has discovered a defect in a certain number of gates used in our 7/16” Quik-Lok carabiners that could contribute to accelerated corrosion which may—over time—deteriorate the strength or lifespan of the item. Read the details at Omega Pacific's site.

Camp No Limits 2012

Once again SAR personnel from San Bernardino County helped with Camp No Limits. Read about this program at the Redlands Daily Facts site.

Director's Dialogue June 2012

I would like to start off by thanking our SAR members who provided for and who participated in last months OHVSAR and MSAR Countywide trainings. From all reports and critiques, the 2nd Annual OHVSAR and the 6th Annual MSAR Trainings were the best that we have ever held.

Mike Westover, the Council's OHVSAR chairman, Summer Jones the event chairperson and all of the members of Bear Valley SAR hosted an outstanding weekend training. All of those members who attended, raved about the hospitality, organization and training scenarios. It was a weekend of fun, learning and shared OHVSAR skills.

On the MSAR side, I would like to thank Hap Hatch, the Council's MSAR chairman and Dean Mott the events chairman from the Apple Valley Posse. What a great day of outstanding training, new SAR techniques and a great victim type scenario. Hats off to Commander Diane Nukols and all of the members from Apple Valley for providing the best of trainings for our equine SAR personnel. Again, the members who attended walked away with a greater knowledge of our use of our four-legged friends for SAR missions. Once again, to all who were involved…with both trainings…Thank you for your time, support and dedication.

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Rattlesnake Avoidance Dog Clinic

On Saturday, July 21 the San Bernardino Sheriff's Search Dog Team is sponsoring a clinic on rattlesnake avoidance. Contact sbsdsearchdogs@sbsar.org to sign up. Read the flyer for details.

Mounted SAR Training 2012

On behalf of Apple Valley Posse, I want to thank every individual who came out to the 2012 All County MSAR event regardless of role.  This exercise was realistic, challenging, and I feel an astounding success!  We did suffer one injury to a mount and our best wishes go out to the mount and owner. 

It was a long day with a lot of lessons learned.  We wanted to attack our training from a mission focused approach as compared to a trail-ride approach.  At the end of the day’s training, I was asked by a highly respected MSAR technician if we had achieved what we set out to do when the training was complete.  At the time, my answer was a bit of a ramble. I would like to better answer that question here:

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Director's Dialogue May 2012

On behalf of our entire Board of Directors of the Inland Empire SAR Council we would like to thank all of the units for their gracious hospitality during our unit visits during the months of January, February and March. It was great to get out to see all of you and for the first time in Council history all of our board members were out and around visiting the units at the same time. All of us had a great time and we will be doing that once again before years end.

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BVSAR to Host County-Wide OHV Training

May 12 and 13, 2012 marks the second annual county-wide OHV training weekend. Once again, Big Bear will sponsor ATV training for every level- beginner to advanced riders with the focus being on search techniques safety on ATV’s. Saturday, May 12 will focus on county certified riders- those who have completed the required Honda course.  The curriculum has been revised to be get riders out into the field first thing and will also encompass a module featuring specific techniques for searching on your ATV. Riders will then have an opportunity to employ their skills in scenario settings.

The Honda New Rider certification course will be offered on Sunday, May 13. This is the first step required for those wishing to obtain certification through the county and focuses on skills such as the pre-trip inspection, operation and handling and will culminate in a trail ride so new riders may experience various terrains and maneuvers with the aid and supervision of Honda instructors.

The event will be held at Johnson Valley near Lucerne. RV and tent camping is available. There are pit toilets on site.  Registration is highly encouraged and free. A group dinner will be offered Saturday night and is no cost to those who pre-register (non-SAR family members $5.00). All riders must have goggles, face sheild or shatterproof sunglasses, long sleeves, long pants, gloves suitable for riding and over-the ankle boots. In addition, each member is required to carry a 155 radio during the scenario training and  have a DOT approved helmet.

Download the registration flyer.

Update on Wednesday, May 9, 2012 at 9:41 by Jeff Lehman

FOR DIRECTIONS TO THE SITE DOWNLOAD THIS MAP

Tracking Class Offered in May

The Investigative Tracking Class is scheduled to be offered May 2-3, 2012. Read the flyer for details. This is a great class, and is "required reading" for any SAR professional.

BMC 2012 Field Weekend Canceled

Nature certainly did not cooperate. Too bad. So we must cancel BMC. All 2011 lecture participants are welcome to attend the lecture this year on November 17 and 18, 2012. However it is not required. All 2011 lecture participants will have to attend the field session which will most likely be one weekend in January, 2013. As we get closer to BMC 2012-13 you will be asked to sign up for it through Volunteer Forces in order for us to have an accurate head count. Think snow!