Search & Rescue
I have been involved in UK based SAR for 18 years & major incident management for 28 years and I have been a keen exponent of bringing the skills required for both together in developing effective professional Search & Rescue teams.
During my 9 years with the Red Cross I was able to review what other Red Cross national societies were doing in SAR provision and got exposure to many national and international incidents, all of which had a priority SAR component. At the same time I was very involved in MR in Scotland and struggled with the often disorganised, badly co-ordinated and random approach to search, with much valuable training in rescue techniques but little training in searching for missing persons. This led me to the opportunity to learn from Don Cooper and some of the leading exponents of search planning and management and to complete a Missing Person Search Planning and Management programme.
Whilst with the British Red Cross I was able to develop my work in SAR and in particular developing techniques and operational standards for inland water based search. I was trying to move the British Red Cross to a similar position as many of the European National Societies in providing SAR support as an auxiliary to government. I achieved this in the North of Scotland working with both Northern Constabulary and Grampian Police (and latterly Police Scotland), particularly in inland water based SAR.
I was instrumental in securing Justice Department funding for creating a radio infrastructure for land & coastal based SAR in Scotland and contributed significantly to the UK SAR OPs Implementation and Control documentation. I was trying to apply the principles of major incident management to SAR and the need for effective communications was essential both within voluntary teams and with external partners.
When I left the Red Cross at the end of March 2012, I gained funding to undertake some independent research looking at SAR provision in Scotland and to consider excellent benchmark operations overseas to include the use of dual role SAR/HEMS helicopters in remote regions.
This enabled me to pull a lot of threads together, to talk to a lot of people and to begin to consolidate other thinking along with my own regarding the approach to SAR in Scotland and the potential need for a national resource/centre of excellence to pool expertise, develop new techniques, R&D new equipment and provide training in search techniques and bringing together best practice from around the world to make it relevant to SAR in Scotland. Sadly, SAR incidents are still lacking focus with volunteer teams often being tasked to areas where there is little or no chance of a missing person being found and where the available information and missing person behaviours are being ignored. It is possible to apply a much more logical and scientific approach to the process in getting success fast by considering POA, POD and POS, along with considering the predictables (and water is very predictable in all circumstances) and using the wealth of data on MISPER behaviours.
I have been a speaker at National & International SAR, Mountain & Wilderness Medical Conferences.
My Search and Rescue Experience:
During my 9 years with the Red Cross I was able to review what other Red Cross national societies were doing in SAR provision and got exposure to many national and international incidents, all of which had a priority SAR component. At the same time I was very involved in MR in Scotland and struggled with the often disorganised, badly co-ordinated and random approach to search, with much valuable training in rescue techniques but little training in searching for missing persons. This led me to the opportunity to learn from Don Cooper and some of the leading exponents of search planning and management and to complete a Missing Person Search Planning and Management programme.
Whilst with the British Red Cross I was able to develop my work in SAR and in particular developing techniques and operational standards for inland water based search. I was trying to move the British Red Cross to a similar position as many of the European National Societies in providing SAR support as an auxiliary to government. I achieved this in the North of Scotland working with both Northern Constabulary and Grampian Police (and latterly Police Scotland), particularly in inland water based SAR.
I was instrumental in securing Justice Department funding for creating a radio infrastructure for land & coastal based SAR in Scotland and contributed significantly to the UK SAR OPs Implementation and Control documentation. I was trying to apply the principles of major incident management to SAR and the need for effective communications was essential both within voluntary teams and with external partners.
When I left the Red Cross at the end of March 2012, I gained funding to undertake some independent research looking at SAR provision in Scotland and to consider excellent benchmark operations overseas to include the use of dual role SAR/HEMS helicopters in remote regions.
This enabled me to pull a lot of threads together, to talk to a lot of people and to begin to consolidate other thinking along with my own regarding the approach to SAR in Scotland and the potential need for a national resource/centre of excellence to pool expertise, develop new techniques, R&D new equipment and provide training in search techniques and bringing together best practice from around the world to make it relevant to SAR in Scotland. Sadly, SAR incidents are still lacking focus with volunteer teams often being tasked to areas where there is little or no chance of a missing person being found and where the available information and missing person behaviours are being ignored. It is possible to apply a much more logical and scientific approach to the process in getting success fast by considering POA, POD and POS, along with considering the predictables (and water is very predictable in all circumstances) and using the wealth of data on MISPER behaviours.
I have been a speaker at National & International SAR, Mountain & Wilderness Medical Conferences.
My Search and Rescue Experience:
- Participated in several hundred SAR operations across the UK
- Actively involved in large scale flood rescue operations: Elgin, Gloucester and Cockermouth
- I am an experienced rescue boat operator, hovercraft pilot/instructor, swift water rescue and emergency medical technician.
- Created and developed the first Flood Response and Inland Water Search & Rescue Team for the Red Cross in the UK. This team operated up to 5 purpose designed and built rigid twin hulled open rescue boats and a hovercraft. These were coded by MCA under both the commercial safety boat and draft rescue boat codes and included on the DEFRA Register of Assets. I also pioneered the use of advanced search techniques using side scan and depth scanning sonar and snorkelling.
- Created and managed large scale multi agency, multi site emergency exercises across various terrains and water.
- Pioneered the use of Newfoundland dogs for water search & rescue.
- Pioneered ATLS, airway management and use of defibrillators on open rescue boats.
- Wrote a detailed Operations Manual for Flood Response and Inland Water Search & Rescue for the Red Cross and implemented an operational standards framework.
- Member of the advisory group on the Tomkins Report ‘An Independent Review of Open Water and Flood Rescue in Scotland’ commissioned by the Scottish Government.
- Member of the Scottish Government Inland Water Rescue Stakeholders Group
- Post Aircraft Crash Management site specialist.
- Trained MISPER Search Manager having completed the course at Bangor University.
- Designed and delivered training programmes in inland water search & rescue.
- Provided assistance to Police Forces on all aspects of land & inland water search & rescue.
- Major Incident Medical Management & Support Practitioner. (MIMMS)
- Advanced Provider Member of Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care.
- Certificate for Ambulance Service First Responders (Cat E on the FPHC PHEM Framework)
- Emergency Medical Technician/Swift Water Rescue Technician. Level 4
- First Aid Instructor/Instructor Trainer/IQA; Worksafe Training Systems: Instructor Training; BLS; AED; EFAW; Emergency First Aid for Schools; FAW; Outdoor First Aid - Basic & Intermediate; Paediatric & Early Years; Management of Catastrophic Bleeding, Management of Anaphylaxis.
- Frequent speaker at national and international conferences on search & rescue.rescue communications and Leadership.
- Contributor to the UK SAR Framework and Implementation & Control documents on behalf of UK SAR Ops CWG.
- Set up an RYA Accredited Training Centre delivering PB2, Defra Rescue Boat Operator and SRC training
- Knowledge and understanding of IAMSAR, COLREGS, SOLAS, GMDSS, AIS, DGPS, GLAe LORAN and IALA Aids to Navigation
- Research & Development of fast rescue craft including, new hull designs, multi hulled boats less than 15m, light hovercraft and polyethylene and composite jet ski.
- Research project on the possible use of ambulance boats in Orkney
- Research & Development Water Rescue PPE and equipment contributing to design, through field trials to procurement.
- Researched and developed new techniques for water search & rescue using a more scientific approach to establishing PoA by using tide, weather and flow rates in addition to LKP. Along with MISPER behaviour research based on UK and US data.
- Actively involved in Climate Change studies and research into adaptation including a significant comparative study using case studies from across the world and UK. Working with the Centre for Climate Change in the Netherlands these studies centered around teh need for emergency responders to adapt to severe weather changes and were used to provide informed input into the Scottish Government legislative process on Climate Change.
- Tactical lead for Emergency Response in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Isle of Man and a member of the UK Tactical Command Group for the British Red Cross.
- I was a member of the International FaST Team for the Red Cross working on short term overseas emergencies.
- Chair of the National Emergency Communications Working Group for the British Red Cross which led to a new framework for emergency communications across the UK which included the acquisition of additional spectrum across PMR and marine bands, the specification and procurement of equipment and the obtaining of a TEA2 licence to operate Airwave.
- Development and Implementation of Operational Standards for Emergency Response across a variety of incidents.
- Past member of the Communications Working Group of UK SAR Ops
- Past member of Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland Executive
- Past member of the Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team
- Received the first Dunant Award for saving lives in Cockermouth and Red Cross Trustees Commendation for managing the flood rescue team response in Cockermouth in 2009.