SAR Technology: 'Incident Commander' Software

- 'Incident Commander' Software Put to the Test on Tough SAR Missions' -

Two Major Searches in One Week Stress-Test the 'Incident Commander' Software!

Poor mountain weather conditions, coupled with old dirty snow at higher elevations, have caused two hikers to lose their way on the trails and become lost in separate incidents in B.C.'s steep North Shore Mountains.

In the first incident Ridge Meadows Search & Rescue responded to the incident and used their networked copy of the 'Incident Commander' software to plan and manage the incident. The hiker - a marathion runner - was very lightly dressed and had spent the night, with periodic heavy rain showers, dressed only in shorts, runners and a sweath shirt. When the initial trail search overnight search proved unsuccessful six neighboring SAR teams were called into assist with this mountain search.

The 'Incident Commander' software's Registration routine was used to register approximately 50 searchers and the Personnel Status Display used to keep track of who was doing what during the incident. On a number of occasions the powerful Lat-Long/UTM Conversion Routine was used to translate helicopter-located clue positions from Lat-Long to the UTM grid system used by the ground search teams.

Creating Search Assignments using the 'Incident Commander' software

The steep valleys, numerous drainages and poor weather conditions made this a very tough search with the distinct possibility that the subject had succumbed to hypothermia. Fortunately, 37 hours after he started his hike, the subject was found near the end of a remote and little-visited trail-less valley.

The 'Incident Commander' software was used to record all of the field assignments and personnel movements throughout the incident and provided useful hard-copy and exported data of this succesful mission.


A few days later Coquitlam Search & Rescue responded to a similar call, this time on Burke Mountain above Bunzen Lake, B.C.. Again an overnight search of the trails for the hiker had proved unsuccesful and Coquitlam SAR were faced with a major search undertaking of the numerous creek drainages in steep mountain terrain. Mutal aid was requested from five neighbouring SAR teams and the 'Incident Commander' software used to manage all the major aspects of this SAR mission.

The 'Incident Commander' software was networked to a laptop placed on a Registration table, just outside the Command Vehicle, thus reducing overcrowding within the vehicle, while permitting real-time access to the command staff of the status of all personnel Checked-In to the mission. As many of the neighbouring SAR teams share their personnel information many of the approximately 40 searchers responding to the incident were already in the 'Incident Commander's' database, permitting the rapid registration and deployment of these searchers.

Throught the day all of the missions Search Areas, Trails and field Assignments were prepared and printed using the 'Incident Commander' software. The Check-In display was used to provide the police and media with accurate updates on the total and current number of people responding to the incident, while the networked computer system provided ready access to each responding person's name, individual and team Call-signs and which assignments they were currently allocated to.

By late afternoon it appeared that the hiker would not be found that day and contigency plans were initiated to bring in even more searchers, overnight, from other, more distant, regions. In this incident the 'Incident Commander' software was  invaluable, both for it's precise documentation of all of the mission response so far, but also for it's but also for it's  capability to handle major, multi-day SAR operations.

Fortunately by early evening the lost hiker was eventually found - trapped beside a waterfall and above some very large cliffs. Given the steep and dangerous location the subject was evacuated by long-lining beneath a helicopter.

By late evening all the searchers had returned to the Command Vehicle, where the 'Incident Commander' software was used to close all of the assignments, check everybody out and provide hard-copy post-mission reporting of the mission's details.

SAR Technology Inc.
Phone: (604) 921-2488    Fax (604) 921-2484      sartechnology@telus.net

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