SAR Exercising Without the Use of High Technology Equipment

• VHF radios - assuming that an exercise is to take place within range of VHF radio (VHF is preferable but MF could be used).
• If an MRCC does not have its own access to radio communications, but uses a Coast Radio Station service, then some assistance may be required by the CRS or, that personnel in the MRCC role-play as the CRS.
• Telecommunications in normal use by the MRCC(s) and rescue units.
• Charts, maps and plotting equipment (paper charts and pencils, parallel rules and dividers, etc. or electronic chart plotting equipment on board rescue units and/or MRCCs – if they have them, and if needed, electronic maps such as Google Maps, and similar).
• Suitable chart tables in MRCC and on-board rescue units or at rescue unit bases.
• Calculators (to do any time/distance/speed and search area calculations)
• Electronic or paper logs and/or notebooks to keep records of what happens during the exercise and to make notes for debriefing afterward.
• Exercise planners/organisers. 
• Role-players - people who can ‘act’ as rescue units, and/or other organisations and authorities (for example if the MRCC is contacting a harbour authority as part of the exercise to ask for information). Often a simulation only requires up to two role players, but this depends on the complexity of the exercise and the number of units and teams involved. More role players will be required where there is likely to be lots of communications to and from units and teams and the role players. Role players must have access to telephones (and mobile phones) and, if the exercise is using radio communications, suitable radios that they can use to ‘act out’ their various roles, as required.
• Exercise script. This is a basic plan of what the scenario is and what the key information is within the scenario. The script does not need to be like a film script and should remain flexible according to the responses of the exercise players, which may cause changes to have to be made to the original plan. Some information may be kept from the exercise players until it is needed or asked for, etc. This might include some registered or reported information about an overdue vessel or craft, or a last known location of such a vessel. The chosen scenario will generate different requirements for information that may or may not be released to the exercise players during the exercise process – and this may be dependent on if the right PPST are used or followed which would normally mean that information would be found, released, or not found, according to scenario parameters.
• Exercise directing staff (DS). Normally only required when there is more than one organisation or team taking part. These are one or two people who must be present at the MRCC and/or rescue unit base(s) to oversee what is happening, to make notes on what they see and hear (for post exercise debriefing), and to interject if there is confusion or something happens that delays or holds up the exercise. They can be from the exercise planning team. If the exercise is taking place only at an MRCC or rescue unit base, then a directing staff person will only be required there. If directing staff are at more than one location, then they must have rapid communication to other directing staff so that they can coordinate with each other and adjust the exercise if required by events or technical problems. 

Process and Options 

This simulation exercise activity takes elements from three types of SAREX: the table-top, the coordination and the communications exercise. In this concept, players will do as much as they can to carry out or practice various PPST. This might include developing real search plans by MRCCs, or rescue units, and practising communications procedures, or the items on an Uncertainty Phase checklist, etc. Some activities will not be possible to do, but others can be role-played or fictitiously provided – imagination is a key attitude and attribute for this process’s success. 

There are options here: an MRCC or rescue unit(s) can run a simulation internally, without the external involvement of rescue units, MRCC or teams or other authorities or, the MRCC / rescue unit(s) can include others and ask them to take part but without deploying units.  A further option could be a hybrid-simulation: this would mean some rescue units proceeding to sea to take part in the exercise and conduct practical tasks and training aligned with the scenario. The MRCC could conduct certain PPST and provide these units with relevant information and instructions such as search area coordinates and instructions, with the rescue units carrying out search operations for a defined period of time. And some of the SAR activity might still be simulated by role-players working on shore and acting out their roles and the tasks they would be undertaking. Simulated events and occurrences can also be included even though there would be no real activity. The variation between live and simulated activities can be increased or decreased as required, either in the exercise plan or at the time according to how events play out or conditions affect safety, performance, etc. 

The exercise planning team can be one or two people, or a larger team if the exercise is to be extensive and wider ranging. For day-to-day training and practice simulation exercises, a single person from each unit or team involved, is usually enough. 

If the exercise is to test and report on the performance of teams, it is important that the exercise planners do not allow the teams to find out about the scenario and what the exercise intends to do in terms of what the planners want to achieve. If the exercise is to practice specific procedures, process, skills and techniques, then it may be relevant to discuss the scenario in broad terms with the team(s) to be exercised, so that they can think through, ahead of the exercise, what PPST will need to be used.