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NASAR Conference and the SARSCENE revitalization project

By Manon Langlois, NSS

As part of the SARSCENE conference renewal, the National Search and Rescue Secretariat (NSS) is looking at other events related to search and rescue (SAR), and finding what can be learned from them. With this in mind, I headed to the National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR) Conference in Little Rock, AK, from May 28 to 30, 2009.

NASAR is a non-profit association of paid and volunteer SAR professionals in the USA. The organization is “dedicated to advancing professional, literary, and scientific knowledge in fields related to search and rescue.”

The conference was preceded by a two-day meeting of federal and state <br>SAR coordinators. Discussions centered on inter-operability, the support of the U.S. National SAR Program, and the exchange of ideas and information on how to best ensure the seamlessness of SAR delivery in the USA. Of particular interest during these meetings was the presentation of the National SAR Committee’s work in understanding and developing maritime, aeronautical and landbased georeferencing standard requirements. I was interested to learn that the U.S. Air Force operates a national SAR school. When a SAR community requests it, the Air Force SAR school comes to them free of charge and trains volunteers based on nationally recognized NASAR training standards.

The conference offered a number of training streams (Swiftwater, Technical, SAR Dog, SAR Management, etc.), providing the close to 300 participants with the opportunity to cross train from one
stream to another. This streaming is particularly interesting for us at the NSS, as it is one of the ideas that we are reviewing during the revitalization of the SARSCENE Conference. Some of the workshops at NASAR also provided official recognition of training to participants working towards professional certification.

Because of the nature of the American geography and climate, SAR needs and resources are organized somewhat differently from ours. The American civilian search and rescue network is regrouped under the auspices of the federal Department of Homeland Security, and encompasses all things SAR, from law enforcement, to volunteers to public safety. This regrouping allows for harmonized responses to (sometimes catastrophic) events like Katrina.
I had ample opportunity to meet, network and exchange ideas with some very dedicated folks, the organizing committee, SAR volunteers, federal and state partners, emergency responders, exhibitors and many others. It was interesting to observe that our southern neighbours share similar concerns and face many of the same SAR issues as we do here in Canada. National training standards are one of their major interests, and the NASAR training standards are widely recognized in the USA.

This was my first attendance at the NASAR Conference, and I was impressed with the programming, content, and organization. I’ll be looking at other opportunities as we continue to build the new concept for SARSCENE. If you have any suggestions and ideas to pass along, please e-mail us.

Manon Langlois is the Senior Communications Advisor at the National Search and Rescue Secretariat. Among other projects, she is the lead for the SARSCENE Revitalization Project and is responsible for the SARSCENE Steering Committee.

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