11.5 SAR Briefings - SMEAC
Purpose
To outline the use of SMEAC briefings for search and rescue (SAR) operations involving SLS personnel, services, and assets.
Overview
Effective briefings are critical to safe, coordinated, and efficient SAR operations.
SAR briefings ensure personnel understand the situation, mission, search task, communications arrangements, safety requirements, reporting expectations, and operational limitations before commencing or continuing a task.
The National Search and Rescue Manual (NATSAR Manual) uses the SMEAC briefing format for SAR briefings.
For SLSSA SAR operations, SMEAC should be used as the primary SAR briefing structure.
SMEACS and SMEACSQ are also commonly used across Surf Life Saving, emergency services, and incident management environments. These formats add additional prompts for Safety and Questions, which may be useful in operational briefings. Where SMEACS or SMEACSQ is used, the briefing should still remain consistent with the SMEAC structure required for SAR operations.
SAR briefings must be clear, concise, factual, and appropriate to the urgency, scale, and complexity of the incident.
Definitions
SMEAC means Situation, Mission, Execution, Administration and Logistics, and Command and Communications.
SMEACS means Situation, Mission, Execution, Administration and Logistics, Command and Communications, and Safety.
SMEACSQ means Situation, Mission, Execution, Administration and Logistics, Command and Communications, Safety, and Questions.
Briefing Officer means the person responsible for delivering the briefing. This may be the Patrol Captain, Senior Lifeguard, Duty Officer, State Duty Officer, SOC Supervisor, Incident Controller, or another appointed operational leader.
Search Unit means a person, team, vessel, aircraft, vehicle, or other resource tasked to undertake SAR activity.
Procedure
Requirement for SAR Briefings
SAR briefings should be conducted before SLS personnel commence a SAR task where time and circumstances permit.
Briefings should also be conducted when:
- New personnel or resources are deployed,
- Tasking changes,
- Search areas change,
- Conditions change,
- Command or coordination transfers,
- New information is received,
- Search patterns are assigned,
- Resources are re-tasked,
- Safety concerns are identified,
- The operation becomes prolonged, or
- Personnel require updated information.
Where immediate action is required to save life, an initial verbal briefing may be brief and task focused.
A more complete briefing should be provided as soon as reasonably practicable.
Briefing Responsibility
The person assigning or coordinating the task should ensure personnel are appropriately briefed.
The Briefing Officer may be:
- Patrol Captain,
- Senior Lifeguard,
- Lifeguard Supervisor,
- Duty Officer,
- State Duty Officer,
- SOC Supervisor,
- Incident Controller,
- Control Agency representative, or
- Another appointed operational leader.
Where a Control Agency is managing the SAR operation, SLS briefings must align with Control Agency direction and tasking.
Where SLS personnel receive a briefing directly from the Control Agency, relevant information must still be provided to the SOC where practicable.
SAR briefings should use the SMEAC structure:
| Element |
Briefing Content |
| Situation |
What has happened, who or what is missing, known facts, current conditions, hazards, agencies involved, and current incident status. |
| Mission |
The specific objective or task to be achieved. |
| Execution |
How the task will be carried out, including search area, search method, resource allocation, timing, reporting requirements, and contingencies. |
| Administration and Logistics |
Personnel, equipment, PPE, welfare, transport, fuel, supplies, medical support, staging, access, and support arrangements. |
| Command and Communications |
Command structure, reporting pathway, radio channels, call signs, contact points, SITREP requirements, escalation process, and emergency communications. |
Situation
The Situation section should explain what is known about the incident.
This may include:
- Nature of the incident,
- Search object details,
- Number of persons involved,
- Last known position or point last seen,
- Time last seen,
- Direction of travel,
- Information source,
- Witness details where relevant,
- Weather, surf, tide, current, and visibility conditions,
- Known hazards,
- Emergency services or agencies involved,
- Actions already taken,
- Search areas already covered,
- Current incident status, and
- Any information that is unconfirmed or uncertain.
Information should be factual and should distinguish confirmed information from assumptions or unconfirmed reports.
Mission
The Mission section should clearly state what the search unit or personnel are required to achieve.
The mission should be specific and may include:
- Search a defined area,
- Proceed to a location,
- Confirm or investigate a sighting,
- Conduct shoreline observation,
- Conduct a water search,
- Provide water safety support,
- Locate a person, vessel, craft, or object,
- Provide first aid or emergency care,
- Support evacuation or transfer,
- Maintain an exclusion area,
- Report environmental or operational observations, or
- Support the Control Agency with a defined task.
The mission should be achievable, within capability, and consistent with Control Agency direction and SLSSA procedures.
Execution
The Execution section should explain how the mission will be carried out.
This may include:
- Search area boundaries,
- Search pattern or method,
- Start point,
- Direction of travel,
- Search speed,
- Track spacing where applicable,
- Resource allocation,
- Team composition,
- Task sequence,
- Timeframes,
- Reporting intervals,
- What to do if the search object is located,
- What to do if clues or sightings are identified,
- What to do if the task cannot be completed,
- Contingency arrangements,
- Withdrawal triggers, and
- Stand down process.
Where a formal search pattern is assigned, refer to the relevant SOP for the pattern.
Administration and Logistics
The Administration and Logistics section should confirm the support arrangements required for the task.
This may include:
- Personnel assigned,
- Qualifications or capability requirements,
- PPE,
- Rescue equipment,
- First aid equipment,
- Radios and communications equipment,
- Vessels, vehicles, aircraft, or other assets,
- Fuel or battery requirements,
- Lighting or visibility aids,
- Food and water,
- Crew rotation,
- Fatigue management,
- Medical support,
- Staging area,
- Access and egress,
- Transport arrangements,
- Equipment recovery,
- Documentation requirements, and
- Welfare considerations.
The briefing should confirm that personnel have the equipment and capability required for the assigned task.
Command and Communications
The Command and Communications section should confirm who is responsible for command, coordination, reporting, and communications.
This may include:
- Control Agency,
- Incident Controller or agency contact,
- SLS command role,
- Duty Officer,
- SOC contact,
- Search team leader,
- Radio channel,
- Phone contact,
- Call signs,
- SITREP frequency,
- Escalation pathway,
- Emergency signal or distress process,
- Communication failure process,
- Transfer of command arrangements, and
- Stand down authority.
SLS personnel must understand who they report to and how urgent information is to be communicated.
Use of SMEACS and SMEACSQ
SMEAC is the primary SAR briefing format for SLSSA SAR operations.
SMEACS and SMEACSQ may be used where this supports clearer operational delivery.
Where SMEACS is used, Safety should include:
- Key hazards,
- Risk controls,
- PPE requirements,
- Environmental risks,
- Communications limitations,
- Withdrawal triggers,
- Emergency procedures,
- Member welfare considerations, and
- Any task-specific safety restrictions.
Where SMEACSQ is used, Questions should provide personnel an opportunity to clarify:
- Tasking,
- Search area,
- Search method,
- Communications,
- Hazards,
- Reporting expectations,
- Equipment,
- Timeframes,
- Contingency actions, and
- Any safety concerns.
Where Safety or Questions are included as separate elements, they do not replace the need to include safety and communication requirements within the SMEAC briefing.
Briefing Search Teams
Search teams must be given sufficient information to perform the task safely and effectively.
The level of detail should be appropriate to:
- Urgency,
- Incident complexity,
- Personnel experience,
- Environmental conditions,
- Task risk,
- Search area size,
- Communications reliability,
- Number of agencies involved, and
- Whether the briefing is face-to-face, by radio, by phone, or through another method.
Marine units, aircraft, vehicles, and land-based personnel may require different information depending on the task.
Where personnel are briefed remotely, the Briefing Officer should recognise the increased risk of misunderstanding and confirm key information has been received and understood.
Briefing Content Checklist
Where time permits, the briefing should cover:
- What has happened,
- Who or what is being searched for,
- Last known position,
- Time last seen,
- Search area,
- Task objective,
- Search method,
- Start and end points,
- Search direction,
- Search speed or spacing where applicable,
- Resource allocation,
- Hazards,
- PPE and equipment,
- Communications method,
- Reporting intervals,
- What to do if the person or object is located,
- What to do if clues are located,
- What to do if conditions deteriorate,
- Withdrawal triggers,
- Stand down process,
- Records required, and
- Opportunity for questions where practicable.
Confirmation of Understanding
The Briefing Officer should confirm that personnel understand the task before deployment.
This may include confirming:
- Task objective,
- Search area,
- Search method,
- Communications channel,
- Reporting interval,
- Safety requirements,
- Withdrawal triggers,
- Emergency process, and
- Any limitations or concerns.
Personnel should raise concerns where tasking is unclear, unsafe, or outside capability.
SITREPs During Operations
Briefings should identify when and how SITREPs are to be provided.
SITREPs should be concise, factual, and provided through the agreed communications pathway.
SITREPs may include:
- Current location,
- Search progress,
- Areas completed,
- Conditions,
- Sightings or clues,
- Hazards,
- Resource status,
- Personnel welfare or fatigue,
- Changes in capability,
- Task completion,
- Need for further assistance, and
- Any urgent issues.
Debriefing Search Teams
Search teams should be debriefed after completing a SAR task where practicable.
Debriefing may include:
- Search area completed,
- Search track or route,
- Time commenced and finished,
- Sightings,
- Hazards,
- Areas unable to be searched,
- Reasons areas were not searched,
- Resource or equipment issues,
- Communications issues,
- Safety concerns,
- Member welfare concerns,
- Follow-up actions, and
- Records or notes required.
Debrief information should be provided to the SOC and relevant SLS command role.
Operational debriefing requirements are managed under the relevant post-incident SOPs.
Records
Briefing and debriefing information should be recorded where practicable.
Records may include:
- Briefing notes,
- SMEAC checklist,
- Search unit tasking,
- Search areas assigned,
- SITREPs,
- Search areas completed,
- Search tracks or GPS records,
- Decisions,
- Safety issues,
- Communications issues,
- Sightings,
- Stand down instructions, and
- Follow-up actions.
Records should be provided to the SOC for inclusion in the incident log.
References