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SAR Mannequin

Started by Chris Jacobs, December 21, 2006, 08:26:26 PM

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Chris Jacobs

I wanted to make something that I could place out in the field that looked similar to a human so that a real person doesn't have to sit out in the field all day while we practice searching.  I could put clues up to the fake person and then once the team finds them they could work on the person and carry them out.  I bought a pair of heavy duty overalls that I want to fill with stuffing so that it is more human shaped.  I was wondering if any one has a good idea of what to fill it with.  I was thinking about maybe putting some water ballast inside, so that it could weigh almost as much as a human when we want it to and then can drain it when we want it to weigh very little.  Add a little stuffing around the water tanks and good to go.  But does any one have any better idea.
C/1st Lt Chris Jacobs
Columbia Comp. Squadron

Al Sayre

You're making it too hard, get an old flight suit if you can find one, go around to your local department stores and ask if they've got an old messed up mannequin and tell them what you want it for.  If they've got one they'll probably give it to you and you can dress it up in the flight suit.  If it's missing a body part or two, you can blame it on the crash and apply tourniquets as needed...
Lt Col Al Sayre
MS Wing Staff Dude
Admiral, Great Navy of the State of Nebraska
GRW #2787

Chris Jacobs

I would do that but most of them are hard plastic and are not going to fit into a litter to well.  They also are hollow plastic and don't weigh enough.
C/1st Lt Chris Jacobs
Columbia Comp. Squadron

Eclipse

An old flight suit, or BDU's for that matter, make poor "victim" clothing because they will be difficult to see from the air, by design.

Most civilians do not wear camoflauge.

I would recommend something with normal colors.

"That Others May Zoom"

Chris Jacobs

That is why i got overalls.  Not a flight suit.
C/1st Lt Chris Jacobs
Columbia Comp. Squadron

A.Member

Quote from: Chris Jacobs on December 21, 2006, 09:41:13 PM
That is why i got overalls.  Not a flight suit.
What "normal" person still wears overalls?!  ;) :)

Fill it with sand.  It's readily available, flexible, and has weight.  Just don't overfill (fill some parts with sand and stuff the rest for volume).
"For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

fyrfitrmedic

 If you're on good terms with your local fire department, old decommissioned fire hose can be used to make a serviceable rescue manikin. Best bet would be double-jacket 2 1/2" hose like so:

http://www.saltspringfire.com/hdummy.php

Put an old flightsuit on your dummy and you're all set!
MAJ Tony Rowley CAP
Lansdowne PA USA
"The passion of rescue reveals the highest dynamic of the human soul." -- Kurt Hahn

Pumbaa

Old flight suit stuffed with towels will do nice... light weight, transportable, and poseable... 

From there you can "Dress" it any way you like..  Put on the latest hip hop fahioned, disco outfit or even dress it like a $2 Hoo...(redacted for taste)

SJFedor

Quote from: Eclipse on December 21, 2006, 09:39:45 PM
An old flight suit, or BDU's for that matter, make poor "victim" clothing because they will be difficult to see from the air, by design.

Most civilians do not wear camoflauge.

I would recommend something with normal colors.

I think he may be talking about a mannequin for a GT to look for. Missing person searches from the air suck to begin with, but you're right, in a flight suit would be darn near impossible.


Make friends with your local FD or county/state ES training school. Maybe they'd let you borrow one of their dummies for a weekend exercise.

Steven Fedor, NREMT-P
Master Ambulance Driver
Former Capt, MP, MCPE, MO, MS, GTL, and various other 3-and-4 letter combinations
NESA MAS Instructor, 2008-2010 (#479)

Dustoff

We always had good luck stuffing the dummy with wal-mart sacks.  Everybody has a million of them lying around and, unlike towels or newspaper, they don't absorb water (and eventually start to SMELL).   ;)

my $0.02

Jim
Jim

RiverAux

Improvise...Adapt...Overcome...

Just fill it with leaves or grass collected out where you are going to hide it.  No reason to carry more stuff out there than you need to. 

Doesn't help with your litter carry though.  You could just park it next to a log of about the right shape and weight and have them strap it in. 

SJFedor

Or...

If you have an experienced team leader that doesn't need to be with the group, you send him out with a bag of chips, and tell him to wait until you guys find him. Real victim, real weight, real size.

Just don't drop the guy.

Steven Fedor, NREMT-P
Master Ambulance Driver
Former Capt, MP, MCPE, MO, MS, GTL, and various other 3-and-4 letter combinations
NESA MAS Instructor, 2008-2010 (#479)

Chris Jacobs

That is what we have done in the past.  But it becomes hard to find victims after a while that are willing to give up a saturday to just sit around and eat potato chips.
C/1st Lt Chris Jacobs
Columbia Comp. Squadron

Eclipse

ILWG has, on at least one occasion, failed to find a CAP-RAP who sat as a victim for an entire day.

Further to my post above, this is what a bright RED jacket looks like from about 1000' AGL.  This photo is from a an FTX in Nov.  Note also that we purposely put it in an open area.


"That Others May Zoom"

floridacyclist

Quote from: A.Member on December 21, 2006, 09:57:13 PM
Quote from: Chris Jacobs on December 21, 2006, 09:41:13 PM
That is why i got overalls.  Not a flight suit.
What "normal" person still wears overalls?!  ;) :)

Some of my relatives to name a few. Just because your folks don't farm doesn't mean that everyone else gave it up and went corporate.
Gene Floyd, Capt CAP
Wearer of many hats, master of none (but senior-rated in two)
www.tallahasseecap.org
www.rideforfatherhood.org