Everyone has something that they can offer
How you can help
Whether you are a experienced outdoors person or you are a pensioner who can drive a car, and everything in between, your skills can be of assistance to LandSAR Marlborough.
See below for some of the roles that volunteers fill in part of a Search and Rescue
Field Teams
To be a LandSAR field team member you will need to have the appropriate bushcraft skills.
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You will need to be fit enough to carry a multi-day pack across a variety of terrains.
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Have experience with navigation in the wilderness (map and compass, grid references and GPS)
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Have the ability to effectively search an area.
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Ability to document tasks that you have completed
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Ability to work as part of a team.
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Participate in regular training to gain experience and proficiency in all the necessary Search and rescue skills
Incident Management Team
(IMT)
The IMT are a critical part of any search successful search. The IMT work with the Police to plan the search and task the field teams to search specific areas. The team also acts a the communications hub with the field teams and records what the field teams are up to.
To be a member of the IMT you will need to;
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Work as apart of a team.
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Have attention to detail
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Be able to produce a health and safety plan
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Be an active listener and take accurate notes
Radio Communications
Having radio communications between the IMT and field teams is essential and without it could mean lives are put at risk.
LandSAR Marlborough's radio communications are reliant on Amateur Radio Emergency Communications (AREC) Marlborough. AREC are an integral part of the team and provide technical assistance as well as manning the radio communications.
One of the strengths of AREC is that their people are drawn from every walk of life and profession giving a breadth of experience which is aligned to unique technical depth. AREC members are actively involved in supporting the communications function at operational headquarters as well as in training.
Group support
As with all organisations there is always a team of dedicated members who are on the committee behind the scenes. Even though these people are not seen in the field in bright orange vests they are an equally important part of the LandSAR Marlborough Team. Without them we would not have the finances to purchase equipment and have all of the necessary plans in place.
Other who support the team include our drivers and welfare support team. At the end of a search that has taken all night ,it is of great comfort for the field teams to have someone there waiting to pick them up in a nice warm vehicle and drive them home. Health and Safety is very important to us and we do not want to take the risk of out team members falling asleep while driving home after a long search.
Alzheimers and dementia
It is not only those that get lost in the wilderness that LandSAR Marlborough assists with. LandSAR Marlborough also manages pendants for Alzheimer and dementia sufferers. The pendants emit a radio frequency that tracking equipment can pick if the wearers of the pendants go missing.
Wander search is the system that is used to track the pendants.
If one of your family members has Alzheimer or dementia and you think they may require a pendant just in case they wader off and don't know how to get home again, contact LandSAR Marlborough and we will see how we can assist.