Hazard – Lack of co-ordinated search plan: All searches

Fire and rescue services may need to search for people in a variety of settings; this may involve wide area searches.

Additional hazards for specific search environments are provided in:

• Lack of co-ordinated search plan: Outdoor searches
• Lack of co-ordinated search plan: Unstable or collapsed structures
• Lack of co-ordinated search plan: Mode of transport

The lack of a co-ordinated search plan may present hazards including:

• An increased time taken to locate people, resulting in:
  • A deterioration in the condition of casualties
  • Needing to search in reduced visibility
  • Needing to search in worsening weather conditions
• A delay in finding people, which allows time for them to move away from their last known position (LKP); they may move due to factors such as:
  • The impact of the incident, such as firespread or flooding
  • Confusion
  • Seeking assistance
• An increased time to complete the search of an area, as a result of:
  • Duplication of effort, with the same area being unnecessarily searched more than once
  • Areas being searched out of sequence or being missed
• Difficulty in managing resources and equipment when searching, which could result in:
  • Deploying resources to search for people who have already left the area or building
  • Withdrawing resources from the area or building while people are still unaccounted for
  • Having insufficient resources or equipment to achieve the search plan