Wildland Search and Rescue Workshop

Officials from FireWhat Inc. (www.firewhat.com) in Dunsmuir CA will be hosting the 6^th annual Wildland Search and Rescue (WISAR) workshop June 19^th – 22^nd 2014.  You are invited to come and join experienced SAR instructors and volunteers, GIS specialists, National Ski Patrol, USFS, and other NPS Rangers interested in learning the exciting possibilities surrounding the use of geospatial technology.

This 4 day workshop will focus primarily on GIS tools and strategies for use in the field, as well as case studies and presentations on pertinent geospatial technologies.  Experts from both ESRI and FireWhat will be on hand and provide laptops and software for each of the sessions.

For more information on attending, please contact Cassie Hanson from FireWhat, Inc @ either cassie@firewhat.com or 530.235.4419.

MapSAR: The Latest SAR Mapping Tool

On Dec 8 and 9, 2012, I attended a free workshop to introduce a GIS application called MapSAR to 40 attendees from several search and rescue teams throughout the state.

The MapSAR application is the result of collaboration between members of the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team, ESRI, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, Yosemite National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, and the Mountaineer Rescue Group.

The goal of MapSAR is to bring GIS techniques and technologies to the Search and Rescue field. What is GIS? GIS as defined by ESRI is “A geographic information system (GIS) integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information.”

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SAR Volunteers Recognized

Efforts to integrate GIS with SAR mission operations recently took a leap forward. Read the details on the ESRI blog.

SAR City Keynote Address Highlights Yosemite Challenges

Almost 300 participants at the 38th annual SAR City rescue conference were treated to a stellar presentation by Ranger Paul Doherty, Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSAR) GIS Specialist.  Paul is unique in the National Park Service as being the only full-time dedicated GIS Specialist and Law Enforcement Ranger specifically hired to map search and rescue operations. He gave a wonderful overview of one of the most unforgiving areas in the country, where a mistake can prove to be deadly. YOSAR received a Special Achievement in GIS award during the recent ESRI International Users Conference held in San Diego last July for their innovative use of geospatial technologies to help save lives. This is the first time that a SAR team has been honored with that distinction. The SAR City audience was quite impressed how YOSAR's digital mapping capabilities is making a difference. Perhaps this will spark an interest to better utilize our own Mobile Mapping Unit whenever there is a need.

SAR City Keynote Address