TECHNICAL SURVEY
Technical survey is the natural stepping stone from NTS to full clearance or release and should be planned accordingly. Allowing the previous survey activities to delineate the site into smaller zones could aid in the adoption of technical survey principles as in IMAS 08.20 Technical Survey. Of these principles, the following are key to operations in an urban area with an IED threat: • Targeted technical survey should be preferred over systematic technical survey; • The technical survey methodology should reflect any need to preserve information about the nature and distribution of contamination; and • Details of what was found and where, and what was done and where, should be recorded and reported with sufficient accuracy to satisfy applicable standards and allow meaningful analysis of the type, nature and distribution of contamination within its surrounding environment.
OCCUPYING SUITABLE CONTROL POINTS
Safe access for MA teams is paramount. Any area affected by conflict will have the potential for IED and other EO contamination on routes to and from survey and clearance sites. Consideration should be given to other undefined areas in the immediate vicinity of planned CP locations. It may not be immediately evident which routes are safe or what level of residual risk may exist. Duty of care to staff is paramount and corners should not be cut in the rush to get access. Referring to the national threat analysis conducted during the desktop study should be a key element in determining the EO threat on potential routes to and from CPs. It should provide confidence in making decisions on which routes may be contaminated and which should be safe. It will also enable the identification of other sources of information for more detailed assessment.
CP CONFIRMATORY CHECK
Prior to establishing a CP, all team members should be aware of the intended location and boundaries of the CP (ideally briefs should include imagery). Linear features on the ground, such as kerb edges and road surfaces, should be used to specify these boundaries. Time should be spent while establishing the CP to conduct a check of the surroundings from known safe areas to ensure that there are no suspicious items present. This should be repeated each time a CP is occupied.
CP location
5 m zone
25 m zone
Image 11. Conducting visual confirmation that a temporary CP is safe
Search planning and execution
124
Powered by FlippingBook