search and rescue

1. BY MUHD SHAFIQ RIDZUAN BIN MOHD FADZIL

2. Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or
imminent danger

3. Canadian Forces: "Search and Rescue comprises the search for, and provision of aid to, persons, ships
or other craft which are, or are feared to be, in distress or imminent danger. United States Coast Guard:
"The use of available resources to assist persons or property in potential or actual distress. United States
Defense Department: A search is "an operation normally coordinated by a Rescue Coordination Center
(RCC) or rescue sub-center, using available personnel and facilities to locate persons in distress" and
rescue is "an operation to retrieve persons in distress, provide for their initial medical or other needs,
and deliver them to a place of safety.

4. At 1656, one of the Netherland merchant ship, which is the Vergulde Draeck wreck at the coast of
Australia. Survivors sent for help, and in response three separate SAR missions were conducted, but
there is nothing but failure.

5. Vergulde Draeck The Vergulde Draeck (Gilt Dragon) was a Dutch East India Company ship of the
seventeenth century. She sailed from Texel bound for Batavia (now Jakarta), under Pieter Albertsz and
was carrying trade goods and eight chests of silver worth 786,000 guilders/euro. On 28 April 1656 the
Gilt Dragon was wrecked just south Ledge Point, 107 km north of what is now Perth, Western Australia.

6. Mountain rescue Combat search and rescue Air-sea rescue Ground search and rescue Urban search
and rescue

7. Mountain rescue refers to search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment, The
difficult and remote nature of the terrain in which mountain rescue often occurs has resulted in the
development of a number of specific pieces of equipment and techniques. Helicoptersare often used to
quickly extract casualties, and search dogs may be used to locate them.

8. Ground search and rescue is the search for persons who are lost or in distress on land or inland
waterways. Traditionally associated with wilderness zones, ground search and rescue services are
increasingly required in urban and suburban areas to locate persons with Alzheimer's disease, autism,
dementia, or other conditions that lead to wandering behaviour

9. Combat search and rescue (CSAR) are search and rescue operations that are carried out during war
that are within or near combat zones

10. Urban search and rescue (abbreviated as USAR, also known as Urban SAR, or US&R in the United
States)involves the location, extrication, and initial medical stabilization of victims trapped in confined
spaces. Structural collapse is most often the cause of victims being trapped, but victims may also be
trapped in transportation accidents, mines and collapsed trenches.

11. Air-sea rescue (ASR or A/SR, also known as sea-air rescue or SAR )is the coordinated search and
rescue of the survivors of emergency water landings as well as people who have survived the loss of
their sea-going vessel. ASR can involve a wide variety of resources including seaplanes, helicopters,
submarines, rescue boats and ships.

12. International waters are divided into various regions according to the SOLAS convention. Each
compartment has its own organisation which responsible for the compartment.

13. MARITIME SAR The employment of available personnel and facilities in rendering aid to person in
distress arising of an incident which happen at sea, near or on the coast which involves lives, property
and environment and originate from vessel or craft.

14. MARITIME SAR POLICY The Maritime SAR Policy is containes in the Merchant Shipping Ordinance
1952 and 1960 which make it a legal obligation for the saving of lifes, property and the enviroment
within Malaysia Maritime SAR Region of responsibility. The Safety of Lifes at Sea Convension (SOLAS),
1974 was ratified by Malaysia in 1983 and this ratification Malaysia is obliged to provide Maritime SAR
facilities. By virtue that SOLAS is part of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance, the Marine Department is
entrusted to provide Maritime SAR for all vessels and persons of all nationality within the Malaysia SAR
Region of responsibility.

15. Overall co-ordination of Maritime SAR organisation Co-ordination with other Malaysia SAR
organisation and authorities Liason with international SAR organisations Establishment of standards for
facilities, equipment, staffing, training operation and procedures Financial arrangements, budget
estimate, procurement and disposition of stores and equipment

16. The SAR Team Rescue Group must: -Meet all respective standards according to national and
INSARAG requirements. -Have training in confined spaces, collapsed reinforced concrete structures, high
angle rope rescue and tunneling operations, and basic training in search and medical issues. -Have
additional training in operating in adverse weather conditions, haz mat environments, all other climactic
conditions and team safety.

17. -Breaking and breaching operations. -Shoring operations. -Lifting operations. -High angle rope rescue
operations. -Tunneling operations. -Personal protective equipment requirements.

18. The equipment stock must meet international transportation regulations (i.e., ADR, RID,
IATA(international air transport association), etc.).

19. Assistance with Search Activities -Prior to locating trapped victims, Rescue personnel provide a
significant search resource. -The Rescue personnel may be used to assist the canine and electronic
search personnel with safety assessments at collapse sites, gain access to difficult areas, conduct shoring
and bracing operations, deploy equipment, etc.

20. -These personnel may also conduct physical search operations. -Apart from canine and electronic
search personnel, Rescue personnel should be the only resource used for physical search inside void
areas, as they are the most capable of identifying overall hazards in these areas and are trained in
operating in confined spaces.

21. Rescue Strategy Rescue operations follow the search phase and are focused on extricating the
greatest number of victims in the shortest amount of time, prioritizing technical rescues that cannot be
addressed by local resources. Rescue operations are conducted under the five following phases: PHASE
ONE: Assessment of the collapse area. The area is searched for possible victims (surface and/or buried)
and the evaluation of the structure's stability and potential danger to rescue personnel is performed. All
utilities must be evaluated and controlled for safety.

22. PHASE TWO: Removal of all surface victims as quickly and safely as possible. Extreme care must be
used during this phase to ensure that rescuers do not become victims. Personnel should not be misled
by the outward appearance of a structure - what appears to be a settled pile of debris could, in reality,
be lacking any genuine support and a secondary collapse could occur without warning.

23. PHASE THREE: All voids and accessible spaces created as a result of the collapse must be searched
and explored for live victims. An audible call out system can be used during this phase (refer to the SAR
Team Search Guidelines). Only trained canine or specially trained rescue personnel should be used in
voids and accessible space searches. PHASE FOUR: Selected debris removal, using special tools and
techniques, may be necessary after locating a victim. It may be necessary to remove only certain
obstructions that are blocking access to the victim. Information concerning a victim's location prior to
the collapse can be helpful during the selected debris removal phase. Information gathering on other
possible victim locations can greatly enhance the operation.

24. PHASE FIVE: General debris removal is usually conducted after all known victims have been
removed. Exceptions would be: 1) when information is obtained that indicates the possibility of other
victims not originally accounted for and, 2) when large amounts of debris are impairing or obstructing
operations. The decision to use heavy equipment during this phase must be given serious consideration,
especially when the possibility exists that there are still live victims in the debris. Rescue prioritization is
based on: -A mission assignment from the LEMA or the UN OSOCC. -Any search
intelligence/recommendations. -The degree and difficulty of each opportunity. -The possible end result
of each opportunity. -Any safety and security considerations. -The capabilities and limitations of
available resources (personnel, equipment, site accessibility, etc.).

25. A rescue plan will ensure that all the Rescue team efforts are brought to bear in a systematic and
coordinated manner, utilizing the most up-to-date intelligence about victims and buildings. The rescue
plan should include: -Identified objectives. -All search results. -Any resources assigned. -Any safety and
security issues.

26. -The capabilities of assigned resources. -The limitations of assigned resources. -Any other support
resources. -All communications requirements. -Implementation of the rescue plan should include: -
Personnel briefings. -The commencement of rescue operations. -The evaluation of operational
effectiveness. -Any plan revisions as appropriate.

27. The SAR team is composed (generically) of three functional components as well as a management
component supported by the safety/security, information and planning, liaison and public information
functions. The core functional elements of the Rescue Group are: Management Rescue Safety Medical

28. The supporting functional elements are: Structures engineering. Haz mat. Logistics. Doctors. Heavy
lifting. Local resources. Interpreters.

29. -Rescue operations are conducted following the principles of the five rescue phases. -These phases
are based on those tasks that are easily achievable, moving toward those that are more complicated. -
The on-site activities begin with the rescue work site set up. Rescue work site set up includes: -Work site
and collapse hazard zone identification. -Operations post. -Medical treatment area. -Personnel staging
area.

30. -Rescue equipment staging area. -Cribbing/shoring working area. -Entry/exit routes. -A Rescue Squad
must be staged in a state of full readiness should an unforeseen occurrence or emergency occur. -Once
the size up is completed and the plan of action developed, a Team briefing must be conducted: -A
simple drawing of the site features and rescue - operation should be made that can be quickly done on a
writing pad or erasable marker board. -In addition, safety considerations, structural concerns, hazard
identification, emergency signaling and evacuation guidelines must be addressed at this time.

31. Each work site must have one person designated as officer-in- charge to maintain unity of command.
The officer-in-charge has authority over all assigned personnel. When two or more Rescue Squads are
assigned to operate together, one officer-in-charge must be assigned to be in charge overall of the work
site (this must be clearly communicated to all personnel involved). A work site safety officer should be
assigned to all operations. The work site safety officer is responsible for acting as a second set of eyes
and ears for the officer-in-charge, assisting in the formulation of the rescue plan, and focusing on safety
considerations during rescue operations.

32. It is important that the officers-in-charge and safety officers are clearly identified. (Refer to the SAR
Team Identification & Marking Guidelines.) -The tools, equipment and supplies in the equipment stock
should be separated and organized according to their function. The set up and organization of the
equipment stock must be addressed before significant rescue operations can be supported together
with the maintenance requirements of the rescue equipment Once the equipment stock is organized, it
is imperative that an effective inventory and tracking process be implemented. The limited number of
specialized tools may require them to be shared between one or more rescue sites during simultaneous
operations. It is important that everyone coordinate the sharing and movement of these tools between
the rescue sites.

33. Adequate time should be allocated at scheduled shift exchanges for briefings and information
exchange to promote continuity of operations. Management and supervision of local resources is of
critical importance to the overall safety and effectiveness of rescue operations. Operational logs and site
sketches should be maintained at all times. Following extrication of deceased victims, the remains
should be processed as directed by the UN OSOCC and/or the LEMA.

34. Maritime Rescue Co-Ordinating Centres (MRCC) The MRCC is the Operation Centre established by
the Marine Department for the purpose of controlling and co-ordinating Maritime SAR operations. The
MRCCs estiblished in Malaysia are: MRCC PORT KLANG MRCC LABUAN

35. Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre (MRSC) The MRSC is the Operation Centre established by the Marine
Department to control and co-ordinate Maritime SAR operations which is small in nature and require
only the facilities available within the region concerned. Each centre has its own area of responsibility.
The MRSC established in Malaysia are: MRSC PENANG MRSC JOHOR MRSC TERENGGANU MRSC
KUCHING MRSC SANDAKAN

36. MARITIME SAR UNITS Vessels and aircraft for Maritime SAR operations are provided by: Vessels
Marine Department Royal Malaysia Navy Royal Malaysia Police Port Authorities Royal Custom and Excise
Fishery Department Merchant Ships Fishing Vessels Aircraft Royal Malaysia Air Force Royal Malaysia
Police Royal Malaysia Navy