SEARCH AND RESCUE GROUPS

 Search and Rescue groups utilize different resources that are available to them.  

Air scent dogs

Search Dogs are trained to find missing people by following scent which is carried on the air. This is a very efficient method of searching large areas quickly and does not require items of clothing or effects of the missing person. Dog teams can be quickly deployed to remote areas where they can begin to start searching, while other search resources are being mobilized.  Dogs work equally well in the dark and use their senses of smell and hearing to their fullest under these conditions. It is calculated that a dog is equivalent to about 20 searchers in good conditions and many more in poor conditions. 

Horses

Like dogs, horses have highly developed senses of hearing and smell, and they have even better eyesight than dogs. These special skills can be put to good use in a search situation, even though the roles of dogs and horses differ greatly. A search dog's training is based upon his forebear's instinctive skills as a searcher of prey; as a prey animal, the horse has survived over the centuries by its ability to detect a predator and escape before being eaten. Therefore, while a horse cannot be expected to consciously search in the same way that a trained air scent or tracking dog does, he is instinctively very aware of his surroundings at all times and will alert on anything out of the ordinary, especially the presence of another animal -- or a person! -- and he will usually detect such a presence well in advance of the rider.  A mounted searcher is able to carry on the horse food, water, first aid and survival equipment. The rider's energy will not be exhausted as quickly as a ground searcher carrying such equipment in a backpack. This advantage is especially important in rough or mountainous terrain or in extreme weather conditions since the rider may be able to search more effectively for a longer period.

Airplanes  

Some search and rescue aircraft have sophisticated sensors such as night vision and thermal imaging equipment. Forward-Looking Infrared or FLIR (pronounced "fleer") systems enabled a pilot to see a warm human against a colder background, possibly even spotting a person in a forest.

Listed below are just a few of the Virginia area Search and Rescue groups which cover a wide range of subjects and specialties.

Blue and Gray Search Dogs

Virginia Department of Emergency Management