FLAGSTAFF — A new training video which was a year in the making titled “Introduction to Search Management Best Practices” has been released to aid in training search managers. The video project was a joint effort between the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Unit, a Mountain Rescue Association member team, and the National Park Service Branch of Search and Rescue. To maximize its benefit to the search and rescue community, the video is being distributed free of charge via the internet. The video is intended to be used in conjunction with a comprehensive search management course or as a review of search management concepts for seasoned search managers.

Search management involves a combination of art and science to analyze the situation and then organize responders to efficiently and effectively cover the search area in an effort to find lost or missing persons. The National Park Service has a long tradition of excellence in search management and the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office has played an active role in search and rescue management training in Arizona for many years and continues that role with the release of this video.

In addition to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and the National Park Service, other agencies that participated in the video project included the Arizona Department of Public Safety Aviation Bureau and Guardian Medical Transport.

A premiere showing for public safety agencies will take place at the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Building on July 15th at 7:00 pm. The video can be found at the following link. https://vimeo.com/CCSOSAR/Search-Management