News And Events

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Operational Flow

The following information may be a typical routine for a call-out mission for the Pierce Co. 4x4 Unit behind the scenes. It is merely an outline and is not all encompassing.

The responsible agency, typically the Pierce County Sherriff's office, reviews a request for a Search and Rescue response and determines the level and urgency of the response. If a mission is warranted, they decide on the appropriate resources to deploy. This decision is based on initial information obtained from the reporting party such as; location of event, weather, terrain, time occurred, time of day, hazards, and any other information that can be obtained.

If additional resources are needed the Incident Commander (IC) can request out of county assistance through the state office of emergency management.

The Responsible agency contacts the Pierce County Department of Emergency Management (PCDEM) and requests that the DEM duty officer gets a state mission number and activate the designated resources. The Search and Rescue incident command team proceeds to the search location to begin the setup, planning process and determine how to best deploy the requested resources when they arrive, where to establish search base and gather any additional information from witnesses on persons on scene.

DEM pages the requested units (this is about when the 4x4 comes in). Our call-out coordinator receives the duty officer page which then sends out a global page to members. Members respond as soon as possible or at designated time to a rendezvous point. At the rendezvous, all personnel are signed in.

A 4x4 Operations Leader (OL) receives briefing from IC under the direction of the OL, a base camp is established, communications set up and 4x4 Units are ready.Briefings are given by the OL to the 4x4 Units.4x4 Units are ensured they have proper radio equipment units may receive local maps and may be assigned roads or routes for the search. 4x4 Units maintain regular contact with base or radio relay as appropriate.

If subject is found all teams hold their position until given new tasking by base or OLRender appropriate first aid as needed. Determine accurate location. Report to base the following in a "short report":

• Location
• Current situation
• Subject status
• Current actions
• Additional assistance needed
• Additional equipment needed
• Plan of action

Subject is treated and evacuated. 4x4 Units report back to base from the field. 4x4 Units are debriefed by OL and Incident Command agency (especially important if subject is not found. Must be detailed and accurate report of observations and team actions).