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Search and recovery is the act of locating and retrieving a missing person when it has been determined that they are beyond rescue. Additionally, search and recovery includes the retrieval of valuable objects such as police evidence or overboard vessel equipment. Search and recovery is different from search and rescue, where search and rescue is the act of attempting to find a person suspected to be in distress or looming danger.
Search and recovery can occur in a variety of places, which include on ground locations such as forests, deserts or caves; as well as underwater locations such as lakes or oceans. In underwater search and recovery the goal is to find and retrieve the victim or object of interest. Retrieval can be performed by divers or remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).
Before a successful recovery can be carried out, a long, time-consuming, and often frustrating search is conducted. Effective operations are dependent upon the combination of extensive training, capable equipment, and organized field planning.
Search and rescue (SAR) teams are made up of government branches such as local police, firefighters, military, and coast guards. Additionally, volunteers and other organized agencies, similar to the CASDDA Canadian Search and Disaster Dogs Association, work together to carry out these missions. The size and type of groups that partake in search and recovery operations depends on the mission’s objective such as the size of the location and the type of target.
To produce the best outcomes, the various parties have to complete extensive training where they learn about different search patterns and salvage techniques; as well as various navigation and communication strategies. Overall, training provides the best opportunity to recover the person or object of interest.
Tow Search Method Advantages:
Tow Search Method Disadvantages:
Bottom Line Search Method Advantages:
Bottom Line Search Method Disadvantages:
This is the most common method when using a towfish or boat mounted side scan sonar. Side scan sonar works best when moving in straight lines. It is also best to overlap search lines as much as reasonably possible, at least 25-50%, to ensure that areas can be confidently “crossed off” as searched. The boat operator will drive the straight line, turn around and return back to overlap with the last line as closely as possible, while the side scan monitor on the boat is looking for anomalies that could be the victim. Anomalies are marked by throwing a floating marker in the vicinity of the target for further evaluation by diver or by ROV later.
Grid Search Method Advantages:
Grid Search Method Disadvantages:
Read our article about sonars to learn what the technology is in more detail
When a ROV is utilized in a large area search and recovery, the efficiency of a mission can improve as:
However, when divers are needed, safety considerations must be addressed to ensure no additional loss of life occurs during the search. On top of diving in unknown and dangerous waters, these divers have limited oxygen tanks and search times. Given these circumstances, often ROVs can be used prior to sending a diver or in tandem to monitor the safety of the diver. ROVs improve safety for divers as they can be used to assess conditions underwater and identify any hazards to a diver, before they submerge underwater.
Use ROVs to improve the locating, identification and retrieval of your target
ROVs are extremely useful in improving the cost, speed and safety of large area search and recovery. The DTG3 ROV, PIVOT ROV and REVOLUTION ROV are excellent ROVs to help at any stage of search and recovery mission. The ROVs help preserve crucial mission time as they have no topside power required allowing them to be deployed within 30 seconds. In addition, the ROVs can be equipped with sonar; as well as grabbers, which can be used in the retrieval stage. These ROVs can be easily brought anywhere, there have been missions conducted from watercraft as small as canoes.
Deep Trekker ROVs are used regularly on arctic and antarctic expeditions. In cold water operations, such as under ice missions, dive times for divers is extremely limited, the ROVs are proven in these environments as a long lasting cold water search tool.
If you are looking to add a ROV to your search and rescue team, our experts at Deep Trekker are happy to help find the appropriate technology within your budget.
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