Special Transportation
The Special Transportation Division of the Bedford County Wilderness Search Team was designed to meet special needs of emergency response organizations that respond to emergencies in remote locations. Through a thorough examination of search and rescue it was determined that there were a few areas that needed specialized services with specialized training. In the past, on search and rescue incidents, individuals would assist with searching or rescue in the below fashion without training. This type of service without the training to match was always detrimental to the well being of the searcher and the injured or lost individual. The Division was designed to meet three needs- Wilderness Evacuation, Equipment and Personnel Transportation and Advanced Hasty Team Search.
Wilderness Evacuation In remote locations, the removal of that individual to an ambulance access point is usually very difficult. To transport one individual in a stokes basket (wire rescue basket), 20 rescuers are typically needed to carry that individual one mile. The amount of manpower can be drastically reduced with the proper motorized vehicle and a trained operator.
Members of the Special Transportation Division are trained to gain access to patients in remote locations through the use of All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), Snowmobiles, Horses and Four Wheeled Drive vehicles. When responding to assist with the removal of an individual from a remote setting, Special Transportation personnel come equipped with the requested vehicle, basic medical equipment and special extrication equipment that is specific for that vehicle.
All of the above-motorized vehicles come specially equipped and are not simply off the shelf products. ATVs come equipped with winches and special racks for equipment. Four Wheeled Drive responders come with vehicles that have considerable lifts for added clearance, high traction tires and winches. The snowmobile responders come with special patient hauling sleds.
Equipment and Personnel Transportation During missing person searches, the typical search usually covers very large areas. To get searchers to these areas and to get equipment to these individuals special vehicles are needed. The members of the Special Transportation unit can bring vehicles that can haul both personnel and equipment in and out of the field.
Hasty Searches Hasty searches are a search technique that takes place during the initial phases of a search. During a hasty search, searchers will search a trail, wilderness roads, power lines or other easily navigatable routes. The searchers move very fast looking mostly for the lost subject but also looking for clues that may help in determining where to search next if the hasty search does not work. This type of search is usually done at a fairly fast pace (3 mph).
Hasty searches can be done on special transportation type vehicles. Unlike most searches where people show up with ATV and speed around causing problems for the overall search, the members of Bedford County Wilderness Search Team’s Special Transportation Division are trained to use their vehicles to perform searches. The Special Transportation personnel bring required search equipment and are trained to be clue conscious while operating their means of transportation. Special transportation vehicles that are useful for hasty searchers are ATVs, snowmobiles, 4x4s, horses, personal watercraft, mountain bikes and telemark or snowshoes.
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All Terrain Vehicles (ATV)
Searchers from the Bedford County Wilderness Search Team must meet special training to be permitted to search or assist at a search and rescue incident with an ATV. The necessary training for an ATV searcher includes a minimum of NASAR SAR Tech III, basic wilderness first aid, basic ropes and rigging training, basic moving water rescue training, and wilderness rescue training. All ATV operators are required to have an ATV safety course and have their ATV registered and insured.
All ATV searchers must graduate from a 16-hour ATV search course. The members of the BCWST Special Transportation division are the only 100% trained ATV search operators available for searches.
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Snowmobile
Searchers from the Bedford County Wilderness Search Team must meet special training to be permitted to search or assist at a search and rescue incident with a snowmobile. The necessary training for a snowmobile searcher includes a minimum of NASAR SAR Tech III, basic wilderness first aid, basic ropes and rigging training, ice rescue training, wilderness rescue training and arctic/ winter survival training. All snowmobile operators are required to have a snowmobile safety course and have their snowmobile registered and insured.
All snowmobile searchers must graduate from a 16-hour snowmobile search course. The members of the BCWST Special Transportation division are the only 100% trained snowmobile search operators available for searches.
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4x4 Vehicle
Searchers from the Bedford County Wilderness Search Team must meet special training to be permitted to search or assist at a search and rescue incident with a 4x4 Vehicles. The necessary training for a 4x4 vehicle searcher includes a minimum of NASAR SAR Tech III, basic wilderness first aid, basic ropes and rigging training, basic moving water rescue training and wilderness rescue training. All 4x4 vehicle operators are required to have a 4x4 safety course and have their 4x4 registered, currently inspected and insured.
All 4x4 operators are required to have a current state drivers license. All 4x4 searchers must graduate from a 16-hour 4x4 search course. The members of the BCWST Special Transportation division are the only 100% trained 4x4 search operators available for searches.
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Equestrian
Searchers from the Bedford County Wilderness Search Team must meet special training to be permitted to search or assist at a search and rescue incident with a horses. The necessary training for a horse searchers include a minimum of NASAR SAR Tech III, basic wilderness first aid, basic ropes and rigging training, basic moving water rescue training and wilderness rescue training. All equestrian handlers are required to have their horse cleared by a veterinarian and have a truck and trailer available at all times for transport. All equestrian searchers must graduate from a Mounted SAR course.
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Watercraft
Searchers from the Bedford County Wilderness Search Team must meet special training to be permitted to search or assist at a search and rescue incident with a personal watercraft. The necessary training for a personal watercraft searcher includes a minimum of NASAR SAR Tech III, basic wilderness first aid, basic ropes and rigging training, operations level in moving water rescue training, wilderness rescue training and PA Fish and Boat commission Safety Course. All personal watercraft operators are required to have their personal watercraft registered and insured.
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Mountain Bike Specialist
Searchers from the Bedford County wilderness Search Team must meet special training to be permitted to search or assist a search and rescue incident with a mountain bike. The necessary training for a mountain bike searcher includes a minimum of NASAR SAR Tech II, basic wilderness first aid and wilderness rescue training. Mountain Bike searchers are required to carry field maintenance and repair equipment with them during the search and are required to have the necessary skills to use the equipment. All mountain bike searchers are required to graduate from a 16-hour mountain bike search course.
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Telemark/ Snowshoe Specialist
Searchers from the Bedford County wilderness Search Team must meet special training to be permitted to search or assist a search and rescue incident with telemark skis or snowshoes. The necessary training for a telemark skier or snowshoe searcher includes a minimum of NASAR SAR Tech II, basic wilderness first aid, arctic/ winter survival training, basic mountaineering training, ice rescue course and wilderness rescue training. A telemark skier or snowshoe searcher is required to have an awareness level in avalanche rescue.
The Special Transportation Division of the Bedford County Wilderness Search Team was designed to meet special needs of emergency response organizations that respond to emergencies in remote locations. Through a thorough examination of search and rescue it was determined that there were a few areas that needed specialized services with specialized training. In the past, on search and rescue incidents, individuals would assist with searching or rescue in the below fashion without training. This type of service without the training to match was always detrimental to the well being of the searcher and the injured or lost individual. The Division was designed to meet three needs- Wilderness Evacuation, Equipment and Personnel Transportation and Advanced Hasty Team Search.
Wilderness Evacuation In remote locations, the removal of that individual to an ambulance access point is usually very difficult. To transport one individual in a stokes basket (wire rescue basket), 20 rescuers are typically needed to carry that individual one mile. The amount of manpower can be drastically reduced with the proper motorized vehicle and a trained operator.
Members of the Special Transportation Division are trained to gain access to patients in remote locations through the use of All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), Snowmobiles, Horses and Four Wheeled Drive vehicles. When responding to assist with the removal of an individual from a remote setting, Special Transportation personnel come equipped with the requested vehicle, basic medical equipment and special extrication equipment that is specific for that vehicle.
All of the above-motorized vehicles come specially equipped and are not simply off the shelf products. ATVs come equipped with winches and special racks for equipment. Four Wheeled Drive responders come with vehicles that have considerable lifts for added clearance, high traction tires and winches. The snowmobile responders come with special patient hauling sleds.
Equipment and Personnel Transportation During missing person searches, the typical search usually covers very large areas. To get searchers to these areas and to get equipment to these individuals special vehicles are needed. The members of the Special Transportation unit can bring vehicles that can haul both personnel and equipment in and out of the field.
Hasty Searches Hasty searches are a search technique that takes place during the initial phases of a search. During a hasty search, searchers will search a trail, wilderness roads, power lines or other easily navigatable routes. The searchers move very fast looking mostly for the lost subject but also looking for clues that may help in determining where to search next if the hasty search does not work. This type of search is usually done at a fairly fast pace (3 mph).
Hasty searches can be done on special transportation type vehicles. Unlike most searches where people show up with ATV and speed around causing problems for the overall search, the members of Bedford County Wilderness Search Team’s Special Transportation Division are trained to use their vehicles to perform searches. The Special Transportation personnel bring required search equipment and are trained to be clue conscious while operating their means of transportation. Special transportation vehicles that are useful for hasty searchers are ATVs, snowmobiles, 4x4s, horses, personal watercraft, mountain bikes and telemark or snowshoes.
________________________________________________________________________
All Terrain Vehicles (ATV)
Searchers from the Bedford County Wilderness Search Team must meet special training to be permitted to search or assist at a search and rescue incident with an ATV. The necessary training for an ATV searcher includes a minimum of NASAR SAR Tech III, basic wilderness first aid, basic ropes and rigging training, basic moving water rescue training, and wilderness rescue training. All ATV operators are required to have an ATV safety course and have their ATV registered and insured.
All ATV searchers must graduate from a 16-hour ATV search course. The members of the BCWST Special Transportation division are the only 100% trained ATV search operators available for searches.
________________________________________________________________________
Snowmobile
Searchers from the Bedford County Wilderness Search Team must meet special training to be permitted to search or assist at a search and rescue incident with a snowmobile. The necessary training for a snowmobile searcher includes a minimum of NASAR SAR Tech III, basic wilderness first aid, basic ropes and rigging training, ice rescue training, wilderness rescue training and arctic/ winter survival training. All snowmobile operators are required to have a snowmobile safety course and have their snowmobile registered and insured.
All snowmobile searchers must graduate from a 16-hour snowmobile search course. The members of the BCWST Special Transportation division are the only 100% trained snowmobile search operators available for searches.
________________________________________________________________________
4x4 Vehicle
Searchers from the Bedford County Wilderness Search Team must meet special training to be permitted to search or assist at a search and rescue incident with a 4x4 Vehicles. The necessary training for a 4x4 vehicle searcher includes a minimum of NASAR SAR Tech III, basic wilderness first aid, basic ropes and rigging training, basic moving water rescue training and wilderness rescue training. All 4x4 vehicle operators are required to have a 4x4 safety course and have their 4x4 registered, currently inspected and insured.
All 4x4 operators are required to have a current state drivers license. All 4x4 searchers must graduate from a 16-hour 4x4 search course. The members of the BCWST Special Transportation division are the only 100% trained 4x4 search operators available for searches.
________________________________________________________________________
Equestrian
Searchers from the Bedford County Wilderness Search Team must meet special training to be permitted to search or assist at a search and rescue incident with a horses. The necessary training for a horse searchers include a minimum of NASAR SAR Tech III, basic wilderness first aid, basic ropes and rigging training, basic moving water rescue training and wilderness rescue training. All equestrian handlers are required to have their horse cleared by a veterinarian and have a truck and trailer available at all times for transport. All equestrian searchers must graduate from a Mounted SAR course.
________________________________________________________________________
Watercraft
Searchers from the Bedford County Wilderness Search Team must meet special training to be permitted to search or assist at a search and rescue incident with a personal watercraft. The necessary training for a personal watercraft searcher includes a minimum of NASAR SAR Tech III, basic wilderness first aid, basic ropes and rigging training, operations level in moving water rescue training, wilderness rescue training and PA Fish and Boat commission Safety Course. All personal watercraft operators are required to have their personal watercraft registered and insured.
________________________________________________________________________
Mountain Bike Specialist
Searchers from the Bedford County wilderness Search Team must meet special training to be permitted to search or assist a search and rescue incident with a mountain bike. The necessary training for a mountain bike searcher includes a minimum of NASAR SAR Tech II, basic wilderness first aid and wilderness rescue training. Mountain Bike searchers are required to carry field maintenance and repair equipment with them during the search and are required to have the necessary skills to use the equipment. All mountain bike searchers are required to graduate from a 16-hour mountain bike search course.
_______________________________________________________________________
Telemark/ Snowshoe Specialist
Searchers from the Bedford County wilderness Search Team must meet special training to be permitted to search or assist a search and rescue incident with telemark skis or snowshoes. The necessary training for a telemark skier or snowshoe searcher includes a minimum of NASAR SAR Tech II, basic wilderness first aid, arctic/ winter survival training, basic mountaineering training, ice rescue course and wilderness rescue training. A telemark skier or snowshoe searcher is required to have an awareness level in avalanche rescue.
