Search and Rescue Primer

ByABC News
December 5, 2006, 6:02 PM

Dec. 6, 2006 — -- The death of James Kim, whose body was found Wednesday in the snowy Oregon mountains, four days after he left his stranded family in their car to go for help, was a tragic ending to a story that gripped many.

It has touched everyone involved, not just Kim's family and friends, but even the rescue workers who faced a monumental and, in the end, futile battle against time and the elements.

Imagine looking for a missing person. Your search area is several thousand acres in size and your clues are likely as small as a twig or a gum wrapper. The temperatures are subfreezing and time is definitely not on your side. Those were the conditions faced by officials looking for the Kim family.

Those are often the conditions search and rescue teams find themselves under -- and yet they persevere. "People are very driven. When the mission is on, they will do whatever they have to do," according to Lt. Todd Bogardus, the New Hampshire search and rescue coordinator.

Kati Kim and her daughters, 4-year-old Penelope and 7-month-old Sabine, were found Monday afternoon after they were stranded for more than a week.

As the public watched the search unfold in the media, there is plenty they did not see, going on behind the scenes.

When the first emergency call comes in, a lot of things happen almost simultaneously, experts say. First, an investigation begins and a team is formed. In search and rescue circles, the search is called a "mission" and the team leader a "manager."

The team begins to gather information and ask questions. Was there a vehicle involved, as there was in the Kim case? Were the people walking? What is their PLS or Point Last Seen? The investigation continues throughout the entire mission.

Randy Servis, president of the National Association for Search and Rescue, likens it to a classic mystery. "You're grabbing what clues you have, linking them together to save individuals or a family and the clock is ticking."

Servis said psychology also comes into play. "We profile the people who are lost. Are they quitters? Are they fighters? What are they likely to do -- walk or stay put?" The manager assigns the search an urgency number on a scale from 7 to 21, with 7 being the most urgent.

In this case, Kim chose to walk, with ultimately tragic results. Although officials were quick to point out that the tracks Kim left in the snow when he left his car, helped point rescuers to his family, saving their lives.

In most rescue missions, as more information comes in in the first few hours, a command post is set up. A decision is made about what kind of resources to deploy immediately. The range of options is staggering.