- The SAR Callout Bag – tritium glowrings and callsign patch not included
Following on from “Does Tactical Gear Have a Place in Search & Rescue”, in this article I’m going to run down the contents of a search & rescue callout bag, using my own as an example. The contents listed below have been selected and streamlined after numerous “I wish I had that” and “Why the hell did I bother packing that?” experiences during searches.
The bag is designed for as soon as your callout phone or pager goes off – within reason, you should be able to grab it and go immediately if needed. The worst case scenario I prepare for is if I get the call for a despondent looking to kill themselves as then the clock really is ticking.
Bear in mind that the contents covered in this article are a lowland ground searcher’s personal preference for searching in an urban/woodland environment – so naturally it will be different to a 4×4 or mountain searcher’s gear. First aid, commo, navigation and team leader equipment will be covered in separate articles so as not to make this horrifically long.
Click Here to Read my Breakdown of the SAR callout bag >>>
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- This probably isn’t an appropriate gear set-up for your next SAR callout
Last week I was involved with a training exercise between several county S&R teams, local fire & rescue and law enforcement. It was one of those times where you get to have a good look at what everyone else is using out in the field and I often take notes if I see anything interesting. As usual, most favoured a duty belt or pack to carry their gear and equipment.
Others made do with whatever they had in their pockets and a couple had low profile chest rigs. However, one guy stood out as one guy always does – the one who will only be addressed by his callsign and refers to himself as a “SAR operator”. He wore a full Blackhawk assault vest, a duty belt with every conceivable type of pouch on it, a drop leg admin panel (yes, I cringed too) and a throat mic of the variety often seen used by Special Forces.
Adorning this ensemble were mag pouches, several tritium glow rings in various colours and a callsign patch (I won’t even go into what his callsign was). Aside from looking like he was dying to kick someone’s door in – he looked, to put it bluntly, friggin’ stupid.
Now, S&R teams do often have a paramilitary look about them, there’s no doubt about it. Most of my team wear military surplus fatigue bottoms and boots. But if you’re a searcher and all you’re missing is a heavily-modified AR and a tango to neutralise – this may be the point where you need to consider the following:
Click Here to See if You Are a Silly SAR Operator >>>
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