- YES, YES, BUY THAT MOLLE-COMPATIBLE EMERGENCY SHELTER… OH LOOK, IT COMES IN MULTICAM TOO!
When people first start out in search & rescue, it seems like there is this universal monkey that clambers onto every rookie’s back and starts roaring in their ear, telling them to go forth and buy as much related or partially-related gear as is humanly possible.
Assorted tactical pouches? Yeah gotta have ‘em for search gear and first aid supplies. What are you attaching them to? Err, haven’t worked that one out yet. Spare glow-in-the-dark battery caddy? You bet. Radio earpiece? Gotta have that. Emergency shelter? Sure, why the hell not…
While a rookie will have the best intentions buying all this crap – they genuinely want to be properly equipped for any eventuality they might come across – less than half of the kit they buy will actually be used.
They may be an outdoor or tactical gear store’s wet dream, but they are not doing their spine or their credit rating any good, spending a lot of cash on stuff they’ll be lugging around and never using.
- SO HOW DO WE AVOID THIS?
If you’re new to search & rescue, invest in the following items – a pad and a pen. They’re not cool purchases that you’ll look forward to getting in the mail and you won’t be thinking that you look like a high-speed searcher badass (and you won’t, by the way) – but these two items will save you a great deal of money and potential embarrassment later on. Next up, follow these 3 steps:
Step 1: Observation. Look at what the more established members of your team are using. Ask politely to see what they bring along to callouts – they’ll be happy to show you. Look at the common items that they all use and ask them which items they couldn’t do without on a search. Note all this down in your pad and remember to say thanks – manners cost nothing and will get you a good rep amongst your team.
Step 2: Experience. Before you go operational, you’ll be doing search exercises. Take your pad and pen with you and after each exercise, take five, have a think about what you wished you’d had during the search and note it down. You can carry this method onto your first few live searches as you’ll definitely think of items you want on a live callout.
Step 3: Selection. Once you’re operational and have bought some kit based on what you’ve noted down, get into the habit of periodically taking inventory. I do this every 3 months and if I haven’t used an item in that period, it gets tossed into a storage box. I don’t chuck it in the trash as you never know if you might need it again, but there is no way I’m lugging around dead weight.
Personally, aside from a flashlight, my most important search gear resides in the back of my car. Carb-heavy snack foods, bottled water, warm clothes and a towel. High speed cool guy items? No, but after a long cold search in the torrential rain, that is exactly what I want. Bear in mind that some of the most low-key items will be the ones you end up valuing the most.
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~Alex S
Contributing S&R Correspondent
Alex S works as a ground searcher on a lowland search & rescue team and is qualified to rescue on land and at sea. He spends his off time waiting for his callout phone to go off, laughing at drop leg admin panels and reuniting other teams with their searchers.
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To any SAR guys or gals reading this: Can you pass it on to other SAR folks you know or post a link to our SAR Articles in any SAR forums you post on, these are great articles and from searching the net no other website is really writing any SAR stuff so I would like to get the word out (especially considering how much work our SAR Staff Writers put into them) – thanks
Here is the link to our SAR Articles:
http://www.deathvalleymag.com/category/search-and-rescue/
~James G
James G.(Quote This Comment)
Great article!
I will pass it on!
Steven83815(Quote This Comment)
Alex S.,
Great article for non-SAR folks, too, especially point #3. I always write down gear that I didn’t bring (and wish I had), but I rarely look back at gear I brought (but never actually used).
Some of that routinely unused gear is “worst-case scenario emergency” gear, but most of the rest goes into the “this is kinda handy one outing in six” category. Most of the stuff in the second category you can improvise around or simply do without. It’s surprising how much all those handy little gizmos start to add up (both in weight and money spent).
Less can definitely be more, especially if you’re carrying it on your back.
Striker 2(Quote This Comment)
To the point and easy on the brain. I like it. Pen and Paper is probably the best advice one can give. I’m the co-organizer of a SoCal Survival group, and have seen many of folks (including myself) go out and buy something that has no practical use, or requires another object/item/gizmo/pouch to really be useful. Often finding that these items are seldom used, and as you mentioned, become dead weight. There is a blog/vlog that I frequent called the Nutnfancy Project, and something he discusses is called the POU, or Philosophy of Use. “In what capacity are you going to use item X?” I use this, and articles like this one here (thanks Alex S.) to help steer my purchases. I’ve been hanging around DVM for a week or two now,and find all your articles equally entertaining and useful. Thanks to all of you at DVM.
Justin W(Quote This Comment)
Great piece. I belong to our local C.E.R.T. (Community Emergency Response Team) program here in So. Cal. Here are my tops
1. (2) Flashlights – Two is one, one is none. extra batteries
2. (2) entry tools (1) 18″ crowbar and (1) entry tool with gas valve closure
3. Hard Hat
4. Med Kit – M3 old Nam style (better than a boo boo kit with triage tags)
5. Dry, warm clothes and poncho and poncho liner with socks, socks and more socks.
6. (1) Pair of Mechanix gloves and (1) pair heavy duty leather gloves
7. Safety glasses and goggles
8. Sock cap for those fricken cold days
A couple of things. 1. Ounces equals pounds and pounds equals pain 2. I also want to keep the profile of the ruck similar to my body so I can pull it through the same holes I am squeezing through. The weight has to be manageable so I can pull it through the same tight spaces as well.
This really struck a nerve with me as the you are right, the first thing you want to do is go out and get yourself the same helmet the fire fighters use with turnout gear. I bailed that Idea. I got myself a few pairs of BDUs some long sleeve shirts etc and an old pair of Doc Marten boots. I keep them in the car. There is so much CRAP and I mean crap that you can buy that it boggles the mind. I saw this guy who had the STOMP Ruck from Blackhawk packed with C-Collars, Breathing tubes etc. I mean stocked to the brim. I asked “Do you know how to use all that stuff?” He replied “Nope.” As a former Scout, I am all about being prepared, but come on! Another thing to note is that some stuff have expiration dates, med tape goes bad, gloves get brittle etc. So it doesnt really make sense to “Go Batshit”
Anyway, just a civi puke putting in his two cents. – Matt
Mattlock(Quote This Comment)
Spot on article ! Love the mentions of all the important stuff Lickies and
Chewies! I am a straight up Gear Whore and enjoy the articles . I love the garage sale sign ,It is what happens here every time I leave a mission one is coming up soon . A Yard Sale !
swordpoint9(Quote This Comment)
Many thanks for the positive feedback, guys – glad you found the article useful.
All the best,
~Alex S
Alex S(Quote This Comment)
sorry I meant BLACKHAWK! Haha
Mattlock(Quote This Comment)
Once more, a phenomenally good artice, and I especially like item one – if you can find a grizzled old vet, whether in SAR or in combat, ask him, without being obnoxious, what works and what is just bravo sierra.
And the comments here are great too. A lot of wisdom here.
I have been through the gear whore stage, years ago, and I laugh when I see that things never change. But personally, I am saving up so I can order from the new tac supplier, Macho Maxx, who offers a pack of camo condoms in a MOLLE compatible vinyl pouch. You know, you can really USE good stuff like that!
Slobyskya Rotchikokov(Quote This Comment)
I don’t carry anything in my med kit I’m not certified to use, with the exception of a few items as extras (mostly in kid sizes) that our more senior/qualified team members are able to use.
I’ve seen several team members, both our group and others, who carry a LOT of weight – sometimes to the point that I think they’re going to end up as the next casualty. I try to keep my weight carried to a minimum with the amount of crap I’ve got so I can make room for water or to save strength for taking my turn carting out a patient on a litter.
90% of the stuff I need to have is in a chest rig, it works, it’s comfy, small and easy to stash away in the car, and it has a built in admin pouch for maps, and that all important paper & pen. I’m actually surprised at the number of people who show up for a mission who don’t have a paper/pen to write down the info with and usually I get elected the team secretary to take all the notes and do the navigation.
My med kit is a day pack, and if we’re going to be on an overnight or doing an extended wilderness search I’ve got a larger backpack that the medkit zips onto. It’s not the most comfortable pack I have (I like ultralight personally), but since the big pack usually stays at a base camp and has the zip off day pack I use as a med kit, it works for me.
The chest rig holds a folding dog dish and two pouches hold kibble in zip lock bags. Another holds my gloves and booties for my dog if we’re going over rough terrain. One LED head lamp, a light weight LED flashlight and one of those micro LED’s are also part of the list. Add in a milspec compass and a Brunton orienteering compass and I’m all set aside from some energy bars and the water with the rest of the gear.
PMC-Daughter(Quote This Comment)
I’m a LEO getting into SAR/CERT/Emergency Management. Being a former SWAT guy and a prepper too, I’m a little bit of a gear whore. I’ve been setting up my callout gear and have been trying to remain concious of all the tacticool-blingy gear that I have and am not trying to overdo my set-up. I don’t want to be “that guy” that shows up and gets the laughs. Luckily, being a woods guy and lite-pack hiker/camper should help too. This was a great article for us noobs.
Boy Scout(Quote This Comment)