Big Undertaking
What you are proposing is a huge undertaking. It is needed, and it certainly can be done. You need to establish a detailed organizational plan that covers the functional categories that make up a SAR team.
Trainging: standardized (NASAR, NFPA, ASTM), levels from basic awareness to advanced search management, and you need a source of instruction
Standard Operating Procedures: you need to decide how the team should be organizationally structured both functionally in the field (using the ICS) as well as administratively. The SOP details both of these, as well as the do's and don'ts, establishes the legal basis for the team, who it reports to, and who is responsible for it.
Call Out system: Who gets called out, when, by who, under what circumstances
Paperwork: You need a complete set of forms for documenting every freakin' thing that happens on a serach call out as well as documenting training - this is what protects you in court.
Emergency Communications: how will you get notified of a search, what comms will you use in the field, etc. You might want to partner with the local RACES group for help here.
There is so much more....
Rather than starting from scratch, I would suggest using already established volunteer groups to at least get the SAR team up and running. There is a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) active in your county. This is the place to start. Talk to the Sheriff, county Emergency Manager, and who ever is in charge of the CERT team, and inquire if they would like to add Ground Search and Rescue as part of their response capbilities. CERTs have already had background checks and usually have personal protective equipment so they will arrive on scene dressed for the environment; this saves you some steps. CERTs are funded by DHS grants, and many counties complain of not knowing how to keep their volunteers busy enough...this is their answer, just get them trained in SAR.
Take advantage of local assets, there may be groups in neighboring counties that can help. One of the countries leading SAR minds is north of you in Virginia, Robert Koester, the authority on Lost Person Behavioral Profiling. Get with NASAR, and see what instructors are available in your area.
Lastly, I'm willing to help. I can email you our SOP with training matrix, ICS and organization charts. You can copy directly swapping your team's name, or change it as you and the local officials see fit. I am also willing to come out to teach. Once you get a group of willing participants together, I can do an awareness + operations level training with practical exercise, as well as search manager level training with lost person behavior.
Grabbing a tiger by the tail can be fantastically rewarding or a complete nightmare (depending on if you're Siegfried or Roy). Let me know if you have any questions.
Michael Corbin
Director
Tri-County Search and Rescue
TriCountySAR@Live.com
