11.2 SAR Stages

Purpose

To outline the stages of a search and rescue (SAR) operation and how they apply to SLS personnel, services, and resources.

Overview

SAR operations should be undertaken in a structured and timely manner.

The National Search and Rescue Manual provides nationally recognised SAR doctrine, terminology, planning principles, and operational guidance for Australian SAR authorities and organisations that support SAR operations.

The response to a SAR incident will usually progress through a sequence of stages. These stages help personnel understand the status of the incident, the information required, the actions being undertaken, and when a SAR operation may be escalated, transferred, suspended, or concluded.

The five SAR stages are:

  1. Awareness,
  2. Initial Action,
  3. Planning,
  4. Operations, and
  5. Conclusion.

The stages may overlap. In urgent incidents, activities from multiple stages may occur at the same time.

SLS personnel may support SAR operations within their training, capability, equipment, and approved operational arrangements.

SAR responsibilities and Control Agency arrangements are outlined in SOP 11.1 – SAR Responsibilities.

Definitions

Awareness means the stage where a person, service, agency, or system becomes aware that an emergency situation exists, or may exist.

Initial Action means the preliminary action taken to gather information, alert appropriate resources, assess the situation, and commence urgent response activity where required.

Planning means the development of an operational plan to locate, support, rescue, or otherwise assist the person or object of the SAR operation.

Operations means the stage where SAR resources are deployed and assigned tasks are undertaken.

Conclusion means the stage where SAR activity is completed, suspended, transferred, or stood down.

Search Team means a person, team, vessel, aircraft, vehicle, or other resource tasked to undertake SAR activity.

Search object means the person, vessel, craft, object, or item being searched for.

SITREP means Situation Report.

Procedure

Stage 1 – Awareness

Awareness is the stage where a person, SLS service, agency, or system becomes aware that an emergency situation exists, or may exist.

Awareness may occur through:

  • A member of the public reporting a missing or distressed person,
  • A patrol identifying a person in difficulty,
  • A vessel, craft, swimmer, or paddler being overdue,
  • A report from emergency services,
  • A request from the Control Agency or another agency,
  • A call through the Surf Emergency Response System (SERS),
  • Radio or phone notification to the State Operations Centre (SOC),
  • Observation by SLS personnel,
  • Observation through the Coastal Safety Camera Network (CSCN),
  • Aerial surveillance observation where approved and tasked, including RPAS or Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter Service (WLRHS) observations, or
  • Other credible information indicating that a person may be missing, overdue, or in distress.

At the awareness stage, SLS personnel should treat the information as potentially time critical until assessed.

SLS personnel should notify the SOC as soon as reasonably practicable where a SAR incident is suspected.

Stage 2 – Initial Action

Initial Action is the preliminary action taken to gather information, alert appropriate resources, assess the situation, and commence urgent response activity where required.

Initial Action may include:

  • Confirming the nature of the incident,
  • Determining whether a person is missing, overdue, or in distress,
  • Identifying the last known position,
  • Gathering witness information,
  • Notifying the SOC,
  • Requesting emergency services where required,
  • Alerting or tasking available SLS resources,
  • Conducting communication checks,
  • Maintaining visual observation,
  • Undertaking immediate local search or rescue actions where safe,
  • Recording times, actions, and decisions, and
  • Providing SITREPs to the SOC.

Prompt initial action is critical because the chance of successful rescue may reduce as time passes.

Immediate rescue or local search action must not delay notification to the SOC or emergency services.

Further guidance on information gathering is provided in SOP 11.4 – SAR Information Factors.

Stage 3 – Planning

Planning is the development of an operational plan to locate, support, rescue, or otherwise assist the person or object of the SAR operation.

Where a Control Agency has assumed control, SAR planning is the responsibility of the Control Agency.

SLS may support planning by providing:

  • Local beach and coastal knowledge,
  • Surf, swell, tide, current, wind, and weather observations,
  • Last known position information,
  • Witness information,
  • Search areas already checked,
  • Available SLS personnel and resource information,
  • SLS resource capability and limitation information,
  • CSCN observations where available,
  • Aerial surveillance observations where approved and tasked, including RPAS or WLRHS observations, and
  • Operational risk and safety considerations.

Planning should consider:

  • Search object details,
  • Last known position,
  • Time last seen,
  • Direction of travel,
  • Environmental conditions,
  • Likely drift or movement,
  • Search urgency,
  • Available resources,
  • Search area priorities,
  • Search pattern selection,
  • Communications arrangements,
  • Risk versus gain,
  • Tasking limitations, and
  • Safety of SLS personnel.

SLS personnel should not independently develop or implement a complex SAR plan where the Control Agency has assumed control, unless directed or authorised to do so.

Further guidance is provided in:

Stage 4 – Operations

Operations is the stage where SAR resources are deployed and assigned tasks are undertaken.

Operations may include:

  • Dispatching SLS resources,
  • Conducting search activities,
  • Undertaking rescue activity,
  • Providing first aid or emergency care,
  • Supporting patient transfer,
  • Assisting distressed vessels or craft where appropriate,
  • Supporting shoreline or surface search,
  • Providing water safety support,
  • Supporting communications,
  • Maintaining patrol area or public safety,
  • Providing regular SITREPs,
  • Recording search areas covered,
  • Recording actions, decisions, and times,
  • Monitoring personnel safety and fatigue, and
  • Escalating resource, safety, or capability issues.

SLS personnel must operate within approved capability and must follow Control Agency direction where the SAR operation is under agency control.

Operational activity must be managed using a risk versus gain approach.

Where a task becomes unsafe, exceeds SLS capability, or requires specialist capability, the matter must be escalated through the SOC, Duty Officer, State Duty Officer, or Lifesaving Department.

Search patterns may be used where appropriate and authorised. Further guidance is provided in:

Stage 5 – Conclusion

Conclusion is the stage where SAR activity is completed, suspended, transferred, or stood down.

A SAR operation may enter the conclusion stage when:

  • The person or search object is located,
  • Survivors are rescued or assisted,
  • Information confirms the person or object is no longer in distress,
  • The Control Agency suspends or concludes search activity,
  • Assigned SLS tasks are complete,
  • Conditions become unsafe,
  • SLS capability or resource limitations prevent safe continuation, or
  • SLS resources are stood down by the Control Agency or through SLS command and coordination arrangements.

Where a SAR operation is under Control Agency control, SLS personnel must not independently declare the SAR operation concluded.

When SLS involvement concludes, the responsible SLS command role should ensure:

  • The SOC is updated,
  • Personnel are accounted for,
  • Equipment is recovered and checked,
  • Incident records are updated,
  • Search areas covered are recorded,
  • Any member injuries are reported,
  • Welfare concerns are identified,
  • Debriefing requirements are considered, and
  • Follow-up actions are allocated.

Further guidance is provided in SOP 11.11 – Conclusion of SAR Operations.

Stage Overlap

The five SAR stages do not always occur in a simple linear order.

For example:

  • Immediate rescue action may occur during the Awareness or Initial Action stage,
  • Planning may continue while operations are underway,
  • Additional information may return the incident to an earlier stage,
  • A search may be suspended and later recommenced if new information is received, or
  • Some SLS resources may be stood down while other agencies continue operations.

SLS personnel should remain flexible and continue to provide timely information to the SOC throughout all stages.

Documentation

Accurate records must be maintained throughout each SAR stage.

Records may include:

  • Initial notification details,
  • Times and actions,
  • Witness information,
  • Last known position,
  • SITREPs,
  • Tasking received,
  • Resources deployed,
  • Search areas covered,
  • Decisions and approvals,
  • Communications,
  • Injuries or welfare concerns, and
  • Follow-up actions.

Documentation should be provided to the SOC and managed in accordance with incident recording requirements.

References

This document must not be displayed, including in a patrol room, or reproduced in any form, without permission from the Lifesaving Department, Surf Life Saving SA.

11.1 SAR Responsibilities 11.3 Risk vs Gain