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Around the world, search and rescue operations (often known as SAR) aim to find missing people in dangerous situations and to rescue them, or, in the worst case, recover bodies.
Emergencies occur every day in New Zealand's urban and rural areas. These emergencies generally involve risk to a few people at any one time and are dealt with by Police, Fire Service or Ambulance and medical services in our communities.
There is always the possibility that something of a much more severe nature could occur. In these situations the day to day staffing and equipment levels of our emergency services and other agencies will be insufficient to deal with the scale of events as quickly as they normally do. New Zealand’s search and rescue arrangements vary according to the scale and type of the emergency.
Due to its location and environment, New Zealand faces many potential disasters. In some cases, such as a weather related or volcanic disaster, there may be time for a warning, but an earthquake or a tsunami close to land could strike without warning. We have to remember that all disasters have the potential to cause disruption, damage property and take lives.
Urban search and rescue
 Urban search and rescue involves finding and rescuing people trapped after a building has collapsed. This may be due to structural defects, or a landslide or earthquake. New Zealand Urban Search and Rescue (NZUSAR), set up in 2000, consists of three task-force teams and 17 regional response teams. They are administered jointly by the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, and the New Zealand Fire Service.
So far, NZUSAR has not faced a major emergency, but is aware of the risks. Recent major earthquakes and landslides in Mexico, the United States, Australia and Taiwan show what could happen in New Zealand.
Search dogs
Dogs (with police or volunteer handlers) are now used to help find lost people. Some dogs are trained to cope with avalanches or wilderness, and others are used specifically for tracking or USAR. Their hunting instincts and ability to pick up scents mean they can find and reach a missing person more quickly than human searchers. Once with the person they bark to alert the searchers.
Class I, II and III land search and rescues
For many years, the police carried out some searches without help – these were known as Class I searches. However, they no longer do this.
Class II searches are co-ordinated by the police, with the help of civilian organisations. The special skills and knowledge of mountaineers, cavers and amateur radio operators are often essential to find and rescue missing or injured people.
Volunteer groups that work with the police include the New Zealand Coastguard, the Amateur Radio Emergency Communications (AREC) and New Zealand Land Search and Rescue Inc (NZLSAR).
Class III searches look for aircraft missing over land or sea, or for boats lost in or beyond coastal waters. Activated emergency locator beacons, including those carried on aircraft and vessels, also prompt a Class III search.
These searches are controlled by the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ), under the management of Maritime New Zealand. This covers a large part of the Pacific Ocean from the equator to the Antarctic, and the seas halfway to Australia and halfway to Chile. Totalling around 30 million square kilometres, it is one of the largest search and rescue areas in the world
Who needs search and rescue?
 Most people who are rescued in New Zealand are taking part in outdoor sports and recreation, usually in summer. Boating and tramping account for a large number of search and rescue operations. Mishaps during other risky pursuits such as hunting, mountaineering, surfing, caving and rafting also result in many callouts.
Some groups of people are more likely to get into trouble. International tourists who are not used to such rugged conditions can get caught out when a seemingly easy walk turns into a demanding climb. Mentally ill people or small children can wander into unfamiliar territory and become lost.
New Zealand's hazardscape exposes our cities and districts to a wide range of natural and technological hazards such as earthquakes, flooding, landslides, tsunamis, storms, chemical and terrorism. These could either impact on a particular area or a whole region.
While there are plans to manage the consequences of major emergencies, overseas experience shows that most people will have to look after themselves and those they are with for at least three days. Only the most seriously affected are likely to be assisted by response agencies during this period. |
