Editorial

https://doi.org/10.61618/RPPP8496 Welcome to the June 2025 edition of the Journal of Search and Rescue. It is with sincere gratitudeand humility that I write this inaugural editorial, having recently joined the editorial board. To beinvited to serve in this capacity is both an honour and a privilege, and I take this opportunity witha strong sense of … Read more

Volume 8, Issue 1

Editorial Newsome, A. ORIGINAL RESEARCH Head, Belt, Boots: Obtaining Consistent Probability of Detection in Human Visual SearchChiacchia, KB, Billings, HJ, and Houlahan HEProbability Modelling for Optimization of Evidence SearchesGuy Mansfield, G, Rosenberg, E, Decker, K and Templin, P LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letter To the Editor: Australian Search Urgency Assessment FormWhitehead, J

Letter To the Editor: Australian Search Urgency Assessment Form

Jim Whitehead, PhDEmail: ssarcoqld@hotmail.comhttps://doi.org/10.61618/SLNJ8873 Abstract The Australian Search Urgency Assessment (SUA) form is used by search coordinators as a meansof determining the level of response to a Search and Rescue (SAR) incident.A recent inquest into the death of a young snowboarder and the use of the SUA highlighted the needfor this form to be regularly … Read more

Probability Modelling for Optimization of Evidence Searches

Guy Mansfield PhD, Eric Rosenberg BA, Kathleen Decker BA and Peter Templin BSWashington State SAR Planning UnitUSAEmail jgmansfield@msn.comhttps://doi.org/10.61618/SGMD5272 Abstract Evidence searches (seeking human remains or objects related to criminal cases) havecharacteristics that differ from searches for lost persons. Often, evidence searches arefocused on relatively small areas and seek hard-to-detect objects that may have been initiallyconcealed … Read more

Head, Belt, Boots: Obtaining Consistent Probability of Detection in Human Visual Search

Kenneth B. Chiacchia, PhD1 ,Heather J. Billings, PhD1,2 and Heather E. Houlahan, ABD11Mountaineer Area Rescue Group, Appalachian Search and Rescue Conference, Morgantown, WV, U.S.A.2Department of Pathology, Anatomy & Laboratory Medicine, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center,Morgantown, WV, U.S.A.Email chiacchiakb@gmail.comhttps://doi.org/10.61618/ PDJD2492 Abstract A key lost-person search method is the “grid team,” a line of searchers moving … Read more

Editorial

Welcome to Issue 2 of the 7th Volume of the Journal of Search and Rescue, the second in this volume and this year. We are immensely proud of the role of the journal, being freely accessible and providing peer reviewed research and contributions. The contributions cover a wide variety of issues pertinent to search and … Read more

Evaluating Techniques and Equipment in Water Rescue: Are We Doing Enough?

Letter to the Editor Lawrence Harris Technical DirectorWRS International BVMenenBELGIUMEmail: lawrence@wrsinternational.comhttp://dx.doi.org/10.61618/XSAX1578 Dear Editor,Water rescue is a critical area of safety that warrants careful examination, particularly in the context of how we approach training, equipment provision, and rescue techniques. During my experiences with various organizations—ranging from rescue professionals to industries seeking solutions to their challenges—I have … Read more

Bolts Are Not Nails: Overcoming Misconceptions about Wedge Bolt Use in Permanent Rigging

Technical Report William K StorageAmy F SkowronskiEmail storax101@gmail.comhttp://dx.doi.org/10.61618/CFRA9389 Abstract Considerable misinformation circulates in mountaineering and cave exploration circles concerning the torque needed to correctly install the wedge anchors used in technical rigging. Misunderstanding the proper operation of wedge bolts has caused serious accidents. This explanation of bolt physics defends the installation of bolts using the … Read more

Comparing Reports with Actual Missing Persons’ Footwear

Robert Speiden, BSE 1,2, Brian Cohan, MS, PE 1,3, Joel M. Serrano, PhD 1,21Search & Rescue Tracking Institute, 2Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad, 3Piedmont Search & RescueUnited States of AmericaEmail: robspeiden@blacksburgrescue.org https://dx.doi.org/10.61618/FAZI9243 Abstract Search and rescue resources conduct missions for tens of thousands of persons annually. Visual trackers constitute one of many resources involved in searches … Read more