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The LISAR dogs are able to trace a body or parts of it. It makes no difference where these are hidden.
On the water the dog stands on a boat and he only has to warn the handler if he smells something.
The dog makes this known to the handler by barking or giving a reaction that is recognised by the handler. This SAR unit can work by day and by night.
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Salvage dogs are trained with e smell that comes from a decomposing
body. To give a strong odour a substance has to be easily transformable
into a gas and solvable into water.
The chance for success is dependant on many factors. The ones that are
included: the time that the person has been in the water, the temperature
of the water, the air pressure and the water’s current. The size of the
area where the body Is hidden and the wind are also of great importance.
A search doesn’t limit itself to the reconnoitring and search of the
area, it is a complex ensemble acting of team members, dog and experience.
This ensemble acting is so fragile that the search team has to have had
sufficient training to maintain an optimal result in all circumstances.
Two real life examples are:
- The smell field can be so strong for the salvage dog that they have
to sail with the wind to pinpoint the location with greater accuracy.
The main problem remains, after the spot has been found with the help
of the dogs, to find the missing body. Currents can have dragged the
smell over a larger distance. The newest GPS(sonar) can be a solution.
So this rescue action has 3 disciplines: the motor driver, the dog
and the handler and helping personnel (needed for amongst others
controlling the sonar)
- The temperature of the water also plays a great part. A temperature
lower than 3.3 degrees Celsius prevents the decomposing gas from
hitting the surface. The only way to search then, is to make the dog
swim. This is not to be recommended because the dog can suffer from
hypothermia .
With search actions, solely divers are very often used. While the
combination salvage dog and diver is a much better solution. The sole use
of a diver has as a disadvantage that he has to search 3-dimensionally
because the body does not have to be on the bottom.
Math example: search area 10 by 10 metres= 100 square meters at 10
meters depth = 1000 square meters.
Another handicap for the diver is the limited light . It is mostly so
limited that he has to feel himself around, this is a nearly impossible
task.
To make every rescue operation optimal LISAR works in close operation
with the rescue services Weert so that all disciplines including rescue
dogs, divers, motor drivers and helping personnel are present for a
successful rescue operation.
The motor driver brings the boat in position and knows the topographic
while the rescue dog traces the body.
Helping personnel controls the sonar and the divers can work with
dragnets.
Another possibility that I hear is "we’ll wait until the body
starts floating by itself". This option has to be done with extreme
caution because there are circumstances where this will certainly not
happen. LISAR is not a supporter of this method because next to the grief
and uncertainty of remaining loved ones, there are many factors that you
cannot influence. The most important external factors can be:
- the depth of the water
- the body constitution of drowned person
- the body getting stuck at a random depth or location.
© LiSAR |
