5-Day Inland SAR Planning Course?

[ProdigalJim]

So I'm signed up for the five-day Inland SAR Planning Course. I've downloaded the pre-reading, and am reviewing my various ICS class notes. Has anyone here taken the five-day class, and can you offer any observations, tips or advice?

[Capt_Redfox30]

I completed it last year, it was some good training but relatively long.  The best advice is to keep an open mind and be a team player, you will have to do a "group" project, the group I was in had some huge heads and they wanted to make sure they were right and nobody else was.  It was some good training despite that.  Really good instructors who knew what they were talking about and were really easy to get along with.     

[ProdigalJim]

Cool, thanks for the info!

Is there any utility in refreshing myself on ICS, etc., or should I just show up ready to participate and take notes?

[Eclipse]

The majority of the time will be spent in the most awesome tabletops you've ever done.

If you're going to brush up on anything look into planning information like POD rings, using NTAP data, good interview techniques,
map reading, etc.

My team had some brain-block on long/lat conversions and top maps.

[ande.boyer]

I did the course about three years ago and the comment I always make to people is "it's amazing how much you learn about how much you never knew."

The systematic methods for planning SAR operations that are taught there are second to none.  There is literally a whole field of search theory out there in which people do doctorate level  research.  These same principles are applied to looking for overdue airplanes, lost hikers, etc in a way that someone without a PhD can easily understand. 

It's well worth the time to go if you are, or hope to become, an IC, OSC, or PSC.

Good Luck.