Search and Rescue Syllabus Page

                                                (This link http://www.basarc.org/papers/roperescue/index.html will give the reader access to a PDF file
                                                from the Search and Rescue British Columbia website. It is entitled: Considerations for Rope Rescue
                                                in 2002, by Kenneth N. Laidlaw, and is an excellent companion to Lipke’s Field Guide)

(http://www.desertrescue.com/ links to the Desert Rescue Research site. They sell an excellent

field guide that is compatible with both of the resources listed above. It is available for sale and preview

[as a PDF file] on the site.)

Please note: Students in need of academic or medical accommodation should contact Judi Holevatz, R.N., @
ext. 1340, Rm. 206 of the Ponzio Center.

Course Description

This class will provide students with the basics of lost victim search and rope rescue techniques. At the conclusion of the course, the serious student will be equipped to serve as a member of a search team and be prepared to become trained to the specific protocols of a particular rescue team. The class will focus on personal skills and knowledge rather than the use of specialized equipment. We will follow a "systems approach," in which components such as anchors, anchor systems, friction systems, raising systems, and rigging systems will be taught as separate modules. It will be up to the practitioner to select from among the options in each category and assemble a rescue system appropriate to the individual situation and in consideration of the available resources.

The class will combine lecture and intensive hands-on training as appropriate to the situation. This course is highly skill intensive and students will be held accountable for mastery of these skills. The student must, for example, learn to use rope. A large array of knots and rope systems will be taught, and students will be tested on the knots.

Attendance

Class attendance is essential. Missing one class is significant, as we will build on foundations of information covered and, in a four-week format, one day is roughly equivalent to a full week of the regular session

Due to increasing problems with inattendance, it has become necessary to restate and reassert the attendance policy for this class. Understand that a grade in a class, in effect, certifies that the student has been exposed to the curriculum as described in the syllabus, has participated in all activities associated with the class, and has completed all assignments to a degree reflected in the final grade. In other words, you must attend the class, in order to pass the class!

That being said, the policy for attendance and late assignments with respect to grading is as follows:

Attendance in this class does count, with 1 point being deducted from your final point total for each hour of unexcused absence. Excused absences include such things as illness, certain family obligations, and certain school sponsored activities and trips. Studying for an exam for another class is not an excused absence on the basis of it being a school sponsored activity. Misses can be made up by writing and submitting a paper which covers the material covered in class on the day in question. Under no circumstances should a student assume that by merely submitting a paper, they have made up for 100% of the class missed. In order to be considered equivalent, the paper must be of adequate length, substance, and quality based on the judgment of the course professor. For purposes of calculating a final grade for the class, the one point deduction for the absence will be thrown out if a paper is submitted. The paper will be graded, and the grade averaged with the scores on all other written work. Therefore, the degree to which the paper actually substitutes for the class experiences on the day missed will be directly reflected in the final grade.

Because this professor has had students run a doctor's appointment scam as a means to generate excused absences, he will expect students to schedule medical appointments outside of class time. Exceptions will be made for emergencies and extenuating circumstances.

In this class, attendance is taken with an attendance sheet. Any forgeries of signatures (another scam) will result in the day being counted as an unexcused absence for both the forger and the person for whom the forgery was attempted.

Students in the class are expected to fully, actively, and enthusiastically participate in all class activities. Sleeping in class will not be tolerated. Any student who sleeps in class will be considered absent for the hour in question and, an appropriate number of points will be deducted from the final total and the final grade lowered accordingly.

Late Work

It is the instructor's policy to allow the class to negotiate due dates for out of class assignments. That being said, assignments must be turned in on time. There will be a penalty of -5% per day late. Any exceptions must be negotiated in advance.

Assessment

There will be a written, take-home mid-term exam, an in-class, written final

exam, and a final practical exam. Students should obtain a 15' length of 5/16"-3/8" braided nylon rope for the knot sessions and after-hours practice.

Grading

Grades in this class will be calculated on a straight percentage basis. This is accomplished by dividing the number of points earned by the total number of points possible. I do not grade on improvement except to the extent that improved scores will bolster the student's overall point total. Full and enthusiastic class participation is expected of all students and should not be viewed as something extra that can be counted on to compensate for poor performance on written assignments.

The grading scale is as follows: 93-100 A; 90-92 A-; 87-89 B+; 83-86 B; 80-82 B-; 77-79 C+; 73-76 C; 70-72 C-; 67-69 D+; 60-66 D; 0-59 F.

Course Progression

Let the reader understand that the topics and timeframes listed below should be considered to be a general guide to the progression of the class. We are sure to stray from this schedule as we respond to specific student interests, teachable moments, and the unpredictable rate of progression through lab exercises.

Week One: Lost Victim Search

Introduction to lost victim search, map reading, compass use, map and compass skills, navigation lab exercises, search and rescue core elements, relative urgency factor, information gathering, search strategy, victim behavior

Read: Handouts

Chaps. 1-5, Introduction to Search and Rescue

Week Two: Lost Victim Search

P.O.A. generation, tactics, P.O.D. generation, search methods and patterns, clue awareness and tracking exercises, dead subject procedures, practice search techniques, midterm exam due

Read: Handouts

Chaps. 6-11, Introduction to Search and Rescue

Week Three: Patient Management and Transport

Introduction to patient management, spine management, patient packaging, backboard immobilization, litter carries, low-tech litter belay techniques, lost victim search simulation, rope lecture, knot lecture, knots!, lashes, anchors, anchor systems

Read: Handouts

Week Four: Rock Rescue and Intro. Swiftwater Rescue

Fixed rope ascent, escaping the belay, mechanical advantage systems lecture, friction systems, mechanical advantage systems practicum, raising systems, lowering systems, conversion of lowering systems to raising systems, rappel "pick-offs", simple rescues, water hydraulogy, water hazards, swift-water rescue videos, rope throw rescues, etc., as time permits, written final, practical final

Read: Handouts

*Optional Readings

S.A.R. Websites

(Access these sites on-line through the Northland College Outdoor Education website @ www.northland.edu/oe

Knot Tying Resources

http://www.igkt.net/

http://www.nantucketknotworks.com/

http://www.animatedknots.com/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

http://www.netknots.com/index.html

Wilderness Medicine

http://www.ismmed.org/

http://www.thebmc.co.uk/world/mm/mm0.htm

http://www.medic8.com/MountainMedicine.htm

http://www.hypoxia.net/Links/mtnmed_links.htm

http://www.siriusmed.com/

http://www.soloschools.com/solohome.html

http://www.usariem.army.mil/tmd/tmd.htm

http://www.wildmed.com/

http://www.tasmania-adventures.com/

http://www.nols.edu/wmi/

Search and Rescue

Alaska Mountain Rescue Group Member Handbook html version--click on the link at the top of the page for the PDF version

http://www.xmission.com/~tmoyer/testing/ Tom Moyer's (very cool) Rope and Gear Testing Page

http://www.rescuedynamics.ca/index.htm Rescue Dynamics Site

http://www.rescuedynamics.ca/articles/archives/articlearchive.htm Rescue Dynamics, Article of the Month Archive
http://www.rescuedynamics.ca/articles/pdfs/Pulley3to1.pdf Pulley mechanical advantage article

Anchors in Earnest Version 3, 2008 (Check here for a more current version: http://www.rescuedynamics.ca/articles/archives/article2008.htm )

http://rescuerigger.com/ Whiteboard analysis software

http://www.mra.org/ The excellent Mountain Rescue Association website
http://www.dbs-sar.com/index.htm (Excellent resource-includes research results, statistical analysis of lost person behavior, etc.)

http://www.casara.ca/

http://www.niusr.org/

http://www.rescuenet.com/

http://www.rescuespec.com/

http://www.sarinfo.bc.ca/

http://www.saralberta.org/

http://www.sara.org/main.php

http://www.sarbc.org/ (Superb site)

http://www.nasar.org/ (N.A.S.A.R. site)

http://www.desertrescue.com/

http://www.nmt.edu/~ssar/

http://www.geocities.com/ssarteam/ (Superior Search and Rescue)

http://www.eskimo.com/~c180tom/

http://www.geocities.com/redwalk44/native/page9.html

http://pcesar.org/

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:Rayn3NxOOw0J:www.1srg.org/Contributed-Materials/PackLists/Personal%2520Equip%2520for
%2520SAR.pdf+%22dave+perkins%22+%2B+%22pete+roberts%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

(Available as a PDF at the top of the page)

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:sacZTwbszdIJ:www.allhandsconsulting.com/toolbox/SAR%2520Program%2520Development.pdf+
%22dave+perkins%22+%2B+%22pete+roberts%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 (Available as a PDF at the top of the page)

http://www.mountain.rescue.org.uk/publications/statistics.php (UK Mountain Search and Rescue Stats)

http://www.mountain.rescue.org.uk/ (UK Mountain Search and Rescue--Home)

http://www.techrescue.org/index.php(The Rescue Training Resource and Guide)

http://www.mountain.rescue.org.uk/publications/serman.php MRC Search Management Publications (Great resource featuring the outstanding work of Dave Perkins and Pete Roberts)

http://www.eri-intl.com/ (Emergency Response Institute- Training and resources-excellent S & R bookstore)

Search Management

http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-o/g-opr/nsarc/nsarc.htm (National Search and Rescue Committee Website--Important new Resources!!)

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:xRWFb_P_p_EJ:eri-intl.com/ia.pdf+%22dave+perkins%22+%2

B+%22pete+roberts%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 (Available as a PDF at the top of the page)

Emergency Response International

Lost Person Behavior

http://www.mountain.rescue.org.uk/publications/serman.php (Multiple resources)

Search Dogs

http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:W8PjMlj29A8J:www.dartmouth.edu/~janl/uvwrt/training.notes/dogs.pdf+%22grid+search%22+
2B+deployment&hl=en (Available as a PDF)

http://www.sarda.org.uk/

Tracking Resources