dbS Productions
The Source of Search & Rescue Research, Publications, and Training

 
 Home Research  Publications  Training  Consulting| Contact Us | Order Form |Events  

dbS SAR Newsletter

==========================================================================

Here is Your www.dbs-SAR.com Newsletter February 12, 2002 E-mail Bulletin

==========================================================================

Sponsored by SAR Camp, SAR professionals serving SAR professionals

--------------------------------------------------------------------------


*Free Stuff: The Citizens' Preparedness Guidebook
*Artificial intelligence comes to the rescue
*Washington State SAR Conference
*SARSCENE 2002 Workshop
*On-Line Version of SARSCENE Publication
*Researchers Find Many Head Injuries May Lead to Alzheimer's Disease
*Study Finds One to Three Drinks a Day May Keep Alzheimer's Away
*Tips for Alzheimer's Caregivers: Wandering, Home Safety, Driving, Visiting an AD Patient
*The Air-Scenting Horse
*Re-Organization of USAR teams within FEMA
*Free Workshops on 2002 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program
*Citizen Corps - FEMA/Citizens for Disaster/Terrorism Volunteer Program
*USAR Dogs to be honored at Dog Show, Contribution to NASAR
*US Coast Guard Search & Rescue Newsletter
*Articles Concerning injured SAR volunteers

 

(See below for links. Either click on any active [i.e. underlined] link.

**************************************************************************

Free Stuff: The Citizen's Preparedness Guidebook

The Citizens' Preparedness Guidebook, produced by the National Crime Prevention Council with support from the Department of Justice, provides current crime and disaster preparedness techniques as well as the latest information on terrorism to give Americans guidance on how to prepare in our homes, in our neighborhoods, at work, at the airport, in places of worship, and in public spaces.

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojpcorp/cpg.pdf

You can also order the Guidebook by calling a toll-free hotline at 1-800-WE-PREVENT (1-800-937-7383) You may view other Free SAR stuff at http://www.dbs-sar.com/free.htm

*****************************************************************************

Artificial intelligence comes to the rescue

Using algorithms and mathematical calculations to identify the most likely search areas, the Department of National Defense has not only increased the chances of finding survivors of downed aircraft, but also reduced the costs involved.

http://www.cipa.com/winners/next2_story.html

*****************************************************************************

Washington State SAR Conference

Preparations for the 2002 Washington State SAR Conference are well underway. The conference will be held May 17-19, 2002 at Wind River Fields, 8 Miles Northeast of Carson in Skamania County Washington. Pre-conference courses will begin on May 13th.

Last year's Washington State Conference with over 1000 participants, 60 separate classes, and six pre-conference courses was one of the largest ground SAR conferences in North America. This year's conference promises to be every bit as good as last year's.

The conference web site is <http://www.riverside-graphics.net/sar02/index.html>. There you'll find conference site info, lists of classes, maps of the area, and pre-conference courses offerings. I plan to be in attendance to give presentations on Alzheimer's disease and urban search and rescue.

Registration info is available on the web site. If you have additional questions contact Chris Long at <c.long@emd.wa.gov>

**************************************************************************

SARSCENE 2002 Workshop

The 11th Annual Canadian SAR workshop will be held 11-14 September 2002 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

For additional information about the workshop visit www.nss.gc.ca

**************************************************************************

On-Line Version of SARSCENE Publication

The Canadian National Search and Rescue Secretariat publishes a colorful 16 page publication called SARSCENE covering search and rescue. SARSCENE is the publication with the most pages dedicated to ground search and rescue topics and issues. It is also available on-line at

http://www.nss.gc.ca/sarscene/magazine/Current_issue_e.pdf as a PDF file. However, due to a large number of great color graphics it might take awhile to download over a slow modem. This issue contains an overview of the SARSCENE 2000 conference, remote control rescue craft, and many other topics.

***************************************************************************

Researchers Find Many Head Injuries May Lead to Alzheimer's Disease

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found direct evidence that mild repetitive head injuries can lead to Alzheimer's disease. These findings could serve as a model in screening new drugs to treat Alzheimer's disease, as well as traumatic brain injuries.

http://go1.warp9ems.com/go.pl?tu=7517467-2786

***************************************************************

Study Finds One to Three Drinks a Day May Keep Alzheimer's Away

New research from the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands has found that consuming a light to moderate amount of alcohol each day may help prevent the onset of various forms of dementia including Alzheimer's disease.

http://go1.warp9ems.com/go.pl?tu=7517467-2784

***************************************************************

Tips for Alzheimer's Caregivers: Wandering, Home Safety, Driving, Visiting an AD Patient

Caring for a person with Alzheimer's disease at home is a difficult task and can become overwhelming at times. Many caregivers have found it helpful to use strategies for dealing with difficult behaviors and stressful situations. The following are some suggestions to consider when faced with patient wandering, home safety, driving, and visiting a person with AD.

http://www.alzheimers.org/pubs/careguide.htm

****************************************************************************************

The Air-Scenting Horse

A new SAR resource on the horizon? Perhaps another application of a long established SAR resource. The web site provides interesting information on the training of horses to function much like air-scent dogs. Below is a statement found on the website <used with permission>

"The air-scenting horse searches for a missing victim much like an air-scenting dog. They are trained to follow airborne human scent to its source. The two horses that I have trained have been a great success. Although they can scent discriminate, they are trained not to, which means that they do not need to first sniff a piece of clothing before searching. They will locate any fresh human scent in their scenting range. The horses only search when given a cue, otherwise they are normal trail mounts. My horses enjoy their work so much that they can even find the victims all by themselves after being turned loose with no rider."

http://www.airscentinghorse.com/

******************************************************************************************

Re-organization of Urban Search and Rescue Teams Within FEMA

Joe Allbaugh, the Director of FEMA, reports that changes within FEMA are necessary to allow FEMA to administer the President's initiative and to meet the changing needs of key constituencies. The following are some of the organizational changes being proposed:

. Preparedness activities will relocate from the Readiness, Response and Recovery (RR&R) Directorate to the Office of National Preparedness;

. Training activities will move into the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) to allow greater coordination between training for emergency managers and training for firefighters; and

. Authority for credentialing, training and deploying Urban Search and Rescue teams will move from RR&R to the USFA.

************************************************************************************

US Fire Administration Grant Workshops

The U.S. Fire Administration is sponsoring free workshops on the 2002 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. Interested fire department representatives are invited to attend. The purpose of the workshops is to explain the 2002 grant program and to answer questions.

Information will be presented on the program and on the application process. Also, general assistance in the writing of a competitive narrative for a department's grant application will be discussed.

FY 2002 GRANT APPLICANT WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

Additional workshops are being scheduled. Please visit the USFA web site at

http://www.usfa.fema.gov/grants/02wrkshps.htm for the latest schedule information.

******************************************************************************

CitizenCorps - New program

A new program organized under FEMA called CitizenCorps has been launched by President Bush. It involves citizens volunteering for several different programs. How this may impact Search and Rescue teams remains to be seen. However, some of these programs may give SAR teams an alternative service they may choose to offer the public. The specific programs are listed below.

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a training program that prepares people in neighborhoods, the workplace, and schools to take a more active role in emergency management planning, and to prepare themselves and others for disasters.

An expanded Neighborhood Watch Program (NWP) will incorporate terrorism prevention and education into its existing crime prevention mission.

Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) will provide support for resource-constrained police departments by utilizing civilian volunteers in order to free up more law enforcement professionals for frontline duty.

The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) will coordinate volunteer health professionals during large-scale emergencies to assist emergency response teams, provide care to victims with less serious injuries, and remove other burdens that inhibit the effectiveness of physicians and nurses in a major crisis.

Operation TIPS, the Terrorist Information and Prevention System, will be a nationwide program providing millions of workers who, by the nature of their jobs, are well-positioned to recognize unusual events, with training, materials, and a formalized way to report suspicious activity to the nearest FBI field office.

Citizen Corps efforts at state and local levels will be coordinated nationally by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

http://www.citizencorps.gov A link may also be found on the home page of www.dbs-sar.com

******************************************************************************

USAR Dogs to be honored at Dog Show, Contribution to NASAR

Several USAR Dogs were featured and honored at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. The article also mentions a $275,000 contribution to NASAR.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/2645929.htm

****************************************************************************************

Injured Search & Rescue Members

The article provides details on a fall of 1000 feet, the broken leg, the saving of six stranded snowmobilers, and finally the rescue of the fallen searcher. Best wishes to the injured SAR member.

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1002,11%257E394061,00.html?search=filter

The second article describes how an insurance company tried to deny a search and rescue worker her just Worker's Compensation claim. Fortunately, in the end she was able to collect the money. The link will most likely only be good today.

http://www.dailyprogress.com/newsitems/5news.htm

*******************************************************************************************

US Coast Guard Search and Rescue Newsletter

The US Coast Guard has recently published a Search and Rescue Newsletter addressing Coast Guard SAR issues. Two issues are currently posted on-line. Interesting articles include updates to the National SAR Supplement, the use of computer assisted SAR programs (to the tune of 1.7 million dollars), a new checklist for suspending missions (everyone should read this), and SAR statistics.

http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-o/g-opr/newsletter/newsletter.htm

***************************************************************************************************************************

 

Home | SAR Research |Bookstore | Training Publications | Training Courses | Expert Witness | Consulting  | About dbS | Order Form | Contact UsCatalog Request |SAR Stories | What's New | Press Releases | Next Class | Find SAR Teams | SAR Links | SARsim 2001 | Urban Search |

Copyright © 2000-2011 by dbS Productions

Privacy Statement