Standardized callout procedures enable fast, coordinated SAR mobilization, improving safety and effectiveness for all participants. The procedures discussed here are specific to Graham County Search and Rescue. Other organizations will do this differently.
Types of Callouts
Each type of callout presents specific challenges and requires specialized skills and resources. The main types of callouts include:
- Missing Person Callout: These are among the most common SAR operations. They occur when hikers, campers, hunters, or other outdoor enthusiasts fail to return as expected. Scenarios can range from a child who has wandered away from a campsite to an experienced mountaineer missing along a remote trail. SAR teams use search grids, tracking, scent dogs, aerial support, and coordination with local authorities to locate missing individuals quickly and safely.
- Injured Person Callout: This type involves people who have suffered injuries such as fractures, sprains, hypothermia, heat exhaustion, or animal bites in areas far from roads or medical facilities. SAR personnel trained in wilderness first aid or advanced life support often perform on-site medical interventions and organize safe evacuations using stretchers, litters, or even helicopter hoists when terrain is especially difficult.
- Stranded or Stuck Callout: Sometimes individuals find themselves unable to proceed due to natural obstacles or mechanical failures. Examples include rock climbers stuck on a cliff, paddlers trapped by swift water, or snowmobilers bogged down in deep snow. These rescues often require technical rope systems, Swiftwater rescue techniques, or specialized vehicles. SAR teams carefully assess risks to avoid worsening the situation.
- Evidence or Recovery Callout: Law enforcement may request SAR assistance to find evidence related to criminal investigations, such as searching for items or clues in difficult terrain. In recovery callouts, the goal is to retrieve the bodies of individuals who have perished, often due to exposure, accidents, or natural disasters. These missions are handled with professionalism and sensitivity and may involve coordination with forensic teams or coroners.
- Disaster Response Callout: When natural disasters such as floods, wildfires, avalanches, or earthquakes affect wilderness areas, SAR teams are deployed to rescue trapped or injured survivors, find missing people, and assist with evacuations. These operations often involve working in hazardous, rapidly changing conditions, coordinating with other emergency services, and may require equipment for fire suppression, floodwater navigation, or avalanche probing.
Each callout type demands customized strategies, thorough preparation, and seamless teamwork. SAR teams must adapt their tactics to the environment, weather conditions, and urgency of the situation, always prioritizing the safety of both victims and rescuers.
Stages of the Callout
A comprehensive callout procedure typically includes several stages:
- Investigation: Although the dramatic moments of rescue often receive the most attention, the investigation phase is a critical and foundational part of any operation. This early work shapes the direction of the response, and the quality of the information gathered here can determine whether the mission ends in success or tragedy.
- Callout: In a search and rescue case, the sheriff’s office dispatches the SAR team after assessing the urgency and location. Dispatchers use the county text paging system to relay essential information like last known location, terrain, and hazards.
- Mobilization and Deployment
- The Mission: Each aspect of a mission will be discussed in its own section.
- Demobilization: The process of ensuring that all personnel and equipment are safely and methodically removed from the field.