Image 3. Progression marking used for fingertip search
Marking systems, however well planned and intended, can be difficult to recognise in urban areas when there is an abundance of debris and ‘street furniture’ such as lamps, refuse bins, and traffic signs.
ׁ HINT. Breaking down large urban areas into smaller, sub-areas is a useful method when using temporary progression markers. This can be achieved using linear features, which are abundant in urban areas, and recording the progression on diagrams of plan views using simple colour coding (areas completed, in progress or not yet started).
Image 4. Image showing a cutaway of a building portraying systematic recording: completed areas are annotated in green, areas to be searched remain in red
Search teams should have designated responsibility for sub-areas. For example, if Building A is attributed to Team 1 for the length of the task, Team 1’s supervisor annotates the team’s progress of searching Building A on a sketch map. This will facilitate efficient briefing and continuation of search following a stand-down period and a well organised handover between teams if necessary.
Search core skills and procedures
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