Primary purpose of IAMSAR
To assist states in meeting their own SAR needs and the obligaitons accepted under:
- Convention on International Civll Aviation 1944.
- International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea 1974.
- International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue 1979.
RCC
ARCC
MRCC
JRCC
Search
Rescue
RCC - Rescue Coordination Centre, a unit responsible for promoting the efficient organization of SAR within that region.
ARCC - Aeronautical
MRCC - Maritime
JRCC - Joint
Search - An ops, normally coordinated by a RCC or RSC, using avialable resources to locate persons in distress.
Rescue - An ops, to retreive persons in distress, provide for their initial medical or other needs and delvier them to a place of safety.
IAMSAR Manual
Volume 1 - The Organization and Management Volume, (SC’s) - Search and rescue Co-ordinator’s, published every 3 years.
Volume 2 - The Mission Co-Ordination Volume, (SMC’s) Search and rescue Mission Co-ordinator’s, this volume assists personnel who plan and coordinate SAR.
Volume 3 - Mobile Facilities, intended to be carried aboard rescue units, aircrafts and vessels to assist the on-scene co-ordinator.
Purpose of Volume III
- To provide guidance for those operating aircraft, vessels or other craft.
- Those who may need to perform on-scene coordinator functions.
- Those who experience actual or potential emergencies and may require SAR.
IAMSAR Manual Action Cards
- MEDEVAC
- MEDICO-MEDEVAC
- MOB
- BASIC COMMS PLAN STRUCTURE
- ON-SCENE COORDINATION
- RECOVERY OF PEOPLE IN THE WATER
- EXPANDING SQUARE SEARCH
- SECTOR SEARCH
- TRACK LINE SEARCH
- PARALLEL TRACK SEARCH
3 levels of coordinators
SAR Coordinator (SC), responsible for staffing and equipping SAR.
SAR Mission Coordinator (SMC), designated to manage each SAR.
On Scene Coordinator (OSC), designated to co-ordinate SAR within a specified area.
SRU, unit composed of trained personnel and equipment suitable for conduct of SAR operations.
SAR Coordination (SCs)
- National level
- Establishing and managing the SAR system
- Establishing RCC’s
- Providing and arranging for SAR facilities
- Co-ordinating SAR training
SMC
- SAR Mission Co-ordinator
- Temporarily assigned the lead responsibility to coordinate the SAR response.
- The SMC determines the phase of emergency and is
responsible for alerting the units needed for the task. - In-charge of the SAR and co-ordinates the rescue units.
- Decides when to suspend the SAR activities and when to release the rescue units.
Duties
- Plot the area to be searched.
- Develop the search action plan.
- Designate the OSC.
- Evaluate all reports from any source and modify the search action plan as necessary.
- Issue progress reports.
- Recommend to the RCC chief the abandoning or suspending of the search.
- Release SAR facilities when assistance is no longer required.
- Prepare a final report on the results of the operation.
OSC
A person designated by the SMC to coordinate search and rescue operations within a specified area. Usually the first to arrive on-scene.
Duties
- The OSC may still need to plan a search under some circumstances.
- If a search plan has not been provided by the SMC, the OSC should do the planning.
- Modify the plan as the situation on-scene dictates.
- Coordinate on-scene communications.
- Monitor the performance of other participating facilities and ensure operations are conducted safely.
- Make SITREPs to the SMC.
Planning search at sea
- It will be necessary to establish a datum, reference or an area to be searched.
The following factors should be considered:
* reported position and time of the SAR.
* any supplementary information.
* time interval between the incident and the
arrival of SAR facilities.
* estimated surface movements of the
distressed craft depending
on drift.
Sweep width
Track spacing = uncorrected sweep width value x weather correction factors
Searching speed
* To perform a parallel track search with several vessels moving together in a coordinated manner, all vessels should proceed at the same speed, as directed by the OSC.
* When performing a coordinated search with several vessels moving together, the search speed should normally be the maximum speed of the slowest vessel present under the prevailing conditions.
* In restricted visibility, the OSC will normally order a reduction in searching speed.
Search Area
Radius = 10 Nm
Search Patterns
Factors to consider in deciding what type of search
pattern to use include:
* available number and types of assisting craft
* size of area to be searched
* type of distressed craft
* size of distressed craft
* meteorological visibility
* cloud ceiling
* type of sea conditions
* time of day
* arrival time at datum.
Expanding Square Search
- A suitable marker may be dropped at the datum positon to reference the centre of the pattern.
- Most effective for object with known location in close limits.
- For vessels or small boats to seach with little to no leeway.
- The first leg is usually into the wind.
Sector Search
- Most effective for object with known location and search area is small.
- Use a circular search area centrered on a datum point.
- Due to small search area, multiple vessels should be avoided.
- Aircraft and vessel are used together.
- A suitable marker may be dropped at the datum positon to reference the centre of the pattern.
- For aircraft, 5-20nm.
- For vessel, 2-5nm with 120 deg turn to stbd.
Parallel Track Search
- Used when loc is unknown and search area is large.
- Most effective over water or flat-terrain.
- Large areas must be divided into sub-areas.
- Multiple vessels.
- Legs are parallel to each other.
AMSA-RCC
RCC Australia is also Australian Mission Control Centre (AUMCC).
- 24 hour Rescue Coordination Centre.
- Assuming coordination of rescue incidents.
- Providing a distress and safety communications network that meets the requirements of the SOLAS.
- Administering a reporting system that identifies and tracks ships at sea and be in a position to respond to an emergency.
- Providing training and specialised equipment to Search and Rescue Units (SRUs) around Australia.
- Contributing to international and national aviation and maritime SAR activities and increasing public awareness of maritime safety issues.
- Providing a maritime safety communications network that broadcasts and receives safety and navigation information to and from ships at sea.
JRCC Australia reposibilities
Coordinating maritime SAR for persons on or from a vessel at sea.
SAR Master’s obligations
- It is a SOLAS requirement that mariners carry a copy of IAMSAR Vol III.
- The obligation to render assistance under SOLAS Chapt V Reg 33.
- The obligation under the Navigation Act, 181-184 of the Australian Navigation Act.
SAR in RV
A parallel track search in restricted visibility poses problems because of the following considerations:
- desirability of reducing the interval between SAR facilities as much as possible consistent with safety resulting loss of search area coverage.
- potential risk of collision.
- During restricted visibility, the OSC should direct a reduction of vessel speed as necessary.
- In such circumstances, any ship not fitted with radar, or whose radar has become defective, should consider dropping astern of other ships, informing the OSC of its action.
- the ship’s search should continue when it judges its position (relative to other searching ships) is safe to do so.
- if there is a reduction in visibility and ships have already started to carry out a search pattern, the OSC may decide that the safest action would be to continue the pattern in force despite the resulting loss of coverage.
Should it be necessary for the OSC to consider initiating any of the patterns during conditions of restricted visibility, the following factors should be considered:
- ships will be proceeding at a reduced speed and searches will take longer.
- to search the area thoroughly in such conditions must mean a reduction in track spacing.
- reduction in track spacing would require a reduction in the interval between SAR facilities and, thus, the carrying out of more tracks.
- The OSC may decide to accept a reduction in the area searched and should have regard to the direction and rate of estimated drift in deciding whether to accept a reduction in one or both of the length and width of the search area.
- If visibility improves, the OSC should initiate such actions as will best make good the lost coverage which has taken place.
