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TERRA PO Box 293366 Nashville, TN 37229 1.866.927.4601 |
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CALL OUTS |
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Who is responsible to call out a SAR Team? The local police department is normally who makes first contact. Often times, by the time SAR is called out, it is much too late for prime searching conditions. It is important to begin the process as soon as possible. You are allowed to call us directly, but always call the police first.
TERRA is involved in, but not limited to, wilderness, urban, and water searches, rescue & recovery, and evidence searches. SAR is often called upon by local Law Enforcement, Fire Departments, EMS, Forest Service, City and State Parks, and Coroners and supports the missions of other SAR teams.
The conditions of each search vary. The duration of a call may last from a few hours to several days.
What kind of weather does TERRA search in? We are on-call 24/7/365; that means we search day or night, rain or shine. Heat of summer, cold of winter, wind, fog, and snow—we search. If we’re not on a call in it, we’re training in it!
It’s our job to go anywhere! Terrain varies across regions. TERRA train and responds in dense woods and vegetation, rolling hills, flat plateaus, steep valleys, rivers, and lakes. |
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TERRA’s arrival on-scene? We are not here to take over; TERRA is here to assist you. We answer to your Incident Commander and work as a team. We are merely an extension of your search and rescue effort, calling us, and will work with you to keep your goals and best interests in mind. The requesting agency can help TERRA by providing topographical and/or aerial maps of the search area, food, water, fuel, and lodging when needed. It is also very important to secure articles that may contain the scent of the lost persons. Do not collect scent articles, but protect their integrity by limiting access to them.
TERRA is already involved in your community; join us in making a difference. Speak with a TERRA representative about setting up a free consultation on how TERRA can positively influence your organization. Parks, schools, nursing homes, and public safety/emergency service agencies will benefit greatly from an informational seminar.
Professionalism! Commitment to compassion!
What does TERRA expect of me? Realistic expectations about the outcomes of a search. You must recognize the realistic limitations and capabilities of SAR. Even at best, K9 teams do not always find everything, due to an infinite arrangement of uncontrollable scene variables. Unfortunately, not all missions are successful, but TERRA strives to positively affect the outcome of all missions and trains hard to prepare for everything, so that we’re ready for anything.
Teamwork You may already have a SAR group in your area. Often times though, 2 or 3 dogs are assigned several hundred acres and cannot work efficiently or effectively; many teams claim to be able to offer services at 100% accuracy under these conditions, and that gives families false hope. TERRA never offers services we cannot provide. TERRA is realistic about teamwork among SAR groups and is eager to assist other SAR teams that share our values. TERRA has resources for assistance if we run into a technical rescue situation we are not capable of handling; we work hard to maintain these relationships so that we can offer the best rescue and recovery to you. If your search involves overwhelming circumstances, be realistic and call in additional resources to conduct a more comprehensive search. By working together, SAR groups can realize that there will be instances when things are missed, and teamwork is a tool that can be used to close that margin of error. We all have a common mission—to save lives. |
