SAR training for Overseas unit

[NHQ-OS-126 Frank]

Hello,

We think here at Spangdahlem AFB /Germany /Europe that it would be good to do some SAR training with the cadets. We have some senior members who are qualified for SAR. The only problem is that we have any equipment to organize a training.

Does anybody know where we can get a transmitter (which will be the ELT) and also 2 or 3 receivers with directional antennas for the searching team ?
Or does anyone have a plan or chart how to build that equipment so we could work together with the AFB Communication squadron.

Thank you in advance for your answers. Any suggestions are welcome to support us here overseas.

Oh yes, if you have a minute, you can have a look on our squadrons website:

www.capspangdahlem.com

All the best from Europe.

[jb3]

All the stuff you need can be purchased online although there may be shipping restrictions overseas, even to an APO. Plus CAPR 35-4 mentions that overseas squadrons will have no "emergency services mission". It doesn't directly say that you can't train ES stuff but there may be additional restrictions from the German aviation folks or whatever. I recommend that you don't waste the money on direction finding equipment just for the sake of training and put the money to better use building your cadet program. Good luck either way and good website by the way.

[MIKE]

I agree, it's in your best interest to support the one mission CAPR 35-4 intends you to support and not waste your time and resources on stuff like ES and COMM, that you will only be able to pay lip service to.

Remember... You're not a stateside squadron, you have your own rules and limitations set out by CAPR 35-4.

[NHQ-OS-126 Frank]

Thanks for all your comments.

We know (by CAPR 35-4) that we don't do any SAR missions over here. We just had the idea to have a small exercise on the base's training ground because some cadets asked about how that equipment works and how you can find an ELT with such a "simple antenna".

So we had the idea to see if we could show them how that works......but as mentioned before we do have any equipment........

We have a very good relationship with the base COMM Sq. and they show us very often how to communicate with radios with their AF equipment.......So we thought together with them it might be possible to have an afternoon SAR exercise.......finding an "ELT".

[lordmonar]

Hello,

We think here at Spangdahlem AFB /Germany /Europe that it would be good to do some SAR training with the cadets. We have some senior members who are qualified for SAR. The only problem is that we have any equipment to organize a training.

Does anybody know where we can get a transmitter (which will be the ELT) and also 2 or 3 receivers with directional antennas for the searching team ?
Or does anyone have a plan or chart how to build that equipment so we could work together with the AFB Communication squadron.

Thank you in advance for your answers. Any suggestions are welcome to support us here overseas.

Oh yes, if you have a minute, you can have a look on our squadrons website:

www.capspangdahlem.com

All the best from Europe.

Go talk to your SERE instructors....they may have training ELTs and and Beacons.

Beyond that....there is nothing you can legally do. 

[Fifinella]

Something else to consider is that Europe uses frequencies for different purposes than in the states (for instance, a standard US cordless telephone handset operates on frequencies used by emergency responders in Germany).  Therefore, any equipment you got from the US might operate on a frequency that conflicted with German users.

If you wanted to give the cadets a demo, I would suggest you talk with the base Life Support shop.  They usually have DF equipment which they use to find ELTs going off on the ramp or in the parachute repack facility.  Perhaps they would give a demo and a talk about ELTs.

[Rangercap]

Keep in mind that your ES training can go FAR beyond ELTs and direction finding. Look at everything that ties ELT together communications, navigation, aeronautical navigation, etc...

Let's say you find and ELT... then what? Walk away from the scene? Teach them crash site security, site mapping, first aid. Talk to them about what laws and regulations govern ground team operations.

Talk about missing person search theory and find statistics. It helps to have a cadet understand WHY things are happening, especially the older ones.

There are ton of things you can do, but ELTs might be the hardest.

Brian
PAWG

[DNall]

More effectively, work with the base emergency mgmt shop. You can CERT qualify your members & help them in various ways with on-base activities, to include both exercise and actual.

[NHQ-OS-126 Frank]

Thanks for all your information.

We will see what we can do in SAR even without using ELT's and COMM material.

But does anybody have an idea which SQ. on base we could ask to help us doing such a training ? Security forces ?

[Fifinella]

I would suggest you talk with the base Life Support shop.  They usually have DF equipment which they use to find ELTs going off on the ramp or in the parachute repack facility.

[sarmed1]

Operations Support Squardon or Flight (OSS) is usually where SERE is located, each flying squadron usually has its own life support function.

Whomever ends up teaching survival refreshers (its a q20 month sort of classroom type refresher for most flying postions) can help out with a lot of the trainnig (and usually pretty fun) from basic stuff that relates to ES type training:  ie survival equipment, signalling and navigation; to some cool stuff like water survival (ie helo dunker, rafts etc) to parchute simulators.  They can also point you in the direction for things like first aid training (USAF self aid and buddy care) as well as CPR and AED. 

Other resources include base fire department for some basic firesafety and fiore extinguisher training maybe even a hazmat awarness level training.

Emergency Management can help in the areas of disaster preparedness and response.

Otherwise if you are really  (really interested) I am sure there are a number of members that would be more than happy to come to Germany for some CAP-TDY to teach an number of ES courses.

mk

[PHall]

Another place to ask would be the Crash Recovery Team folks over in the Maintenace Group.