A Workflow for Remote Support

Version 1.0.1

This document describes a workflow for incorporating remote support into a typical wildland search and rescue incident in Virginia and, more broadly, anywhere in the ASRC response area. It is not meant to be a step-by-step guide to managing a missing person incident. In particular, at no point should any of the steps below take precedence over critical thought and attention to the specific details of an individual incident.

1. An incident begins with a request to VDEM for WiSAR resources.

2. The alert/duty officer gathers as much detail as possible about the incident, to include at a minimum:

   • The PLS/LKP street address, and coordinates if available
   • Basic subject information

3. The alert officer, or responding SAR personnel, requests remote support from the VDEM EOC.

4. EOC alerts the ASRC, requesting remote support.

5. ASRC opens dispatch, collects availability for remote support, and identifies a remote support liaison to respond to the incident.

6. The first available remote support resource (“remote support lead”) contacts the VDEM EOC to obtain incident details and contact information for incident staff en route and/or on scene.

7. The remote support lead assembles a support team and prepares for good communication with all parties:

   • Informs on-scene staff remote support is available
   • Creates an incident folder on the SMRG Dropbox
   • Begins an email chain to include all responding staff, remote support resources, and dispatchers (“incident email list”)

8. Goal: Deliver initial products before the first SAR responder arrives on scene

   If reliable internet access is unavailable at the ICP, the second responder should stop just before leaving wireless coverage to download initial products.

   The remote support team assembles relevant data and generates initial products. All remote support products are delivered via the Dropbox incident folder and incident email list.

   • General-purpose maps of a variety of scales, using appropriate basemaps and other data, depicting planning point(s) and ICP (if known)

9. Responders arrive on scene, print general-purpose maps, and immediately begin hasty tasks.

   • Hasty tasks are dispatched using traditional TAFs and general-purpose maps, in order to deploy hasty teams with minimal delay.
   • Each team should carry at least one GPS to track their task.

10. When on-scene staff is available, details and initial search direction are discussed via conference call with the remote support team.

11. Remote support team creates search segments and generates additional products:

    These maps should be delivered to the incident as soon as they are available, before starting work on task packages.

    If search segments have been created on scene prior to initiating remote support, on-scene staff should send a segmented map to the remote team to ensure both teams work from the same segments.

    Goal: Deliver search segments and sufficient tasks for all resources on scene before all hasty tasks are completed

    • General-purpose maps overlaid with search segments
    • Task packages
    • Task overview map
    • Additional specific analysis and/or products requested by on-scene staff or pertinent to the incident, for example:
      • cell phone analysis
      • historical weather analysis and/or near-future spot forecasts
      • terrain analysis

12. TAFs are printed on “one-sided TAFs” — carbonless copy paper with a blank front and preprinted with a traditional TAF back side.

    On-scene staff begin printing and prioritizing task packages.

13. Remote support team creates remaining task packages and updated task overview map.

14. Remote support team remains in frequent contact with remote support liaison on scene; remote support team shift changes are coordinated with on-scene staff.

15. On-scene staff provide completed task logs and GPS tracks to remote support team for continued progress tracking and support.

Preparation for on-scene staff

• Join the SMRG Dropbox

• Add the following to your personal and/or team ops kit:

  SMRG has one-sided TAFs available to SAR personnel and teams at nominal cost

  • Blank one-sided TAFs (Personal: 25–50; Team: 125)
  • Blank letter paper (1 ream)
  • Laptop
  • Printer with spare ink/toner
  • Means for internet access (mobile hotspot or tethered mobile device; recommended)

Notes for remote support teams

• Take care to obtain accurate planning point(s) from street addresses. National or global geocoding services such as those provided by Google, Terrain Navigator, or Esri are often quite inaccurate, particularly in rural areas. Many counties have GIS websites which provide property records and very accurate geocoding; use these instead. If the EOC or RA provides coordinates, inquire where the coordinates came from and check them against a street address.

• To coordinate between multiple team members when segmenting the search area, create regions and assign them to specific individuals to divide into segments; assign a block of one hundred planning numbers to each, e.g. 100–199, 200–299, etc. Save planning numbers less than 100 for the on-scene staff.

• After dividing a region into segments, export them to a shapefile and share it via Dropbox so the whole team can see all the segments.

• Deliver task packages in four separate files:

  • A collated .pdf for all TAFs
  • A collated .pdf for all topographic maps
  • A collated .pdf for all aerial maps
  • A .zip archive of all .gpx files

• Use care when choosing the segment boundary color and pattern. It should be discernible even when the task maps are printed in grayscale.

• 1:12,000-scale task maps are often much clearer than 1:24,000-scale maps. However, it can be difficult for the field team to locate their task area relative to the ICP. When necessary, create an additional transportation map appropriate for field teams to use for travel to their tasks.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Josh Toms and Steve Weiss for reviewing versions of this paper.

Comments?

Open an issue or send a pull request on GitHub, or get in touch.