The following articles, as featured in SARNews.com, are edited versions of excerpts from the 2006 edition of The Textbook for Managing Land Search Operations by R. Skip Stoffel, et al, Emergency Response International:


One threshold question burns brightly in the mind of every incident commander and all members of overhead planning teams at the outset of every search. A deceptively simple question often holds the balance of life and death. That question is: “Where do we search?”...read more.

The questions of how or if searchers see and recognize clues, or even the missing subject, defy simple explanation. It is much more than just seeing an item, a clue or the subject. Perception, and judgment based on that perception, combines the complex processes of vision and decision making....read more.

This month’s article focuses on the essential concepts required to establish a reasonably accurate initial planning point, and the foundation for nomenclature and methods for standardization during future search operations.  Many opinions exist about how these reference points should be determined and their potential use.  The results of differing interpretations have caused both ambiguity and misunderstanding among the ranks in the SAR community.  See how this is related to the reliability of data gathered for missing and lost person behavior...read more.