HANTSAR
NEWS
Summer 2012 - Issue 1
Summer 2012
Search Training
Chairman’s Message
W
elcome to the team’s first newsletter, for which I will not take any credit. Alison and Susa have worked hard to produce this first issue and long may it continue. A newsletter takes a lot of time and planning, but it is not our only form of communication and rest assured, any important information is distributed to you all immediately. HANTSAR would not be able to function without the excellent volunteers we recruit. All are highly valued and all bring skills and ideas to the team. I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of you for giving up your time freely and at your own expense. Our support team travels around Hampshire helping to raise vital funds to support our operational search team members who travel the length and breadth of Hampshire to search for high risk vulnerable missing persons. The committee appreciates that the world is a very different place to what it was just a few years ago and that occasionally people struggle to get out of work to attend callouts. Please pass on my thanks to your employer if they have given you the flexibility to attend such searches. As you know, in 2011 we received 66 calls for assistance. You will all be aware by now of the additional standards introduced by ALSAR late last year. Our Training Officer, Bryan, and the rest of the training team and hired help have been working hard to ensure all search team members attain these new standards. However, we are not quite there yet and still have a bit to do. ALSAR is also looking at integrating dog teams into ALSAR teams and is encouraging
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existing dog teams to integrate into existing ALSAR teams or for dog team members to come across from Lowland Search Dogs individually. Earlier this year the execs of both teams held a couple of meetings to discuss a possible merger, but at this time have agreed to stay independent. During this past year, Isle of Wight Search and Rescue (WightSAR) was formed and is led by Dean Terrett. They continue to work hard towards attaining full ALSAR status. Towards the tail end of 2011, we reviewed our recruitment process and implemented New Members’ Evenings, which are working well. We have also changed the provider of our CRBs at significantly cheaper cost. There is still room for improvement and Phil is working on it. We have also introduced Personal Accident Insurance for all members. On the subject of insurance, please can I remind you that if you are driving to/from callouts, events, training, etc., you should check that your car insurance policy covers your volunteer ‘work’. It is usually free to include ‘Class 1 Business Use’ if you are fully comprehensively insured. Finally, can I remind all search team members to reply promptly to ALL requests for availability as I am finding more and more that I have to chase for responses. Also attendance at callouts is generally lower than I would like. Pretty much on every search, I have to call in additional resource from outside the county. We have a fantastic relationship with Hampshire Constabulary and I would very much like to keep it that way. Anyway, enjoy this newsletter and let the editors have any feedback you may have.
Simon Jeffs
Hampshire Search and Rescue
03
Canada Common
Š Susa Dickerson
Summer 2012
Contents
www.hantsar.org
page 10 Navigation Anne’s Way page 06 Members’ News
page 12 Lyme Disease
page 15 Events
Adverts page 22
Odds & Ends page 16
We Need You page 20 Drawing Without Fear page 18
We welcome contributions. If you have a feature, some news, an item for sale, or would like to promote your business, please email newsletter@hantsar.org Hampshire Search and Rescue
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MEMBERS’ News
Summer 2012
Meet new members, say farewell to others and keep up to date with what everyone is doing. Hello and Farewell A warm welcome and congratulations to Peter Sidebotham, Jo Adair and Susa Dickerson who have recently completed search technician training and are now on the callout list. Peter joined HANTSAR in November 2011 and completed his ST Course at the beginning of April. Peter: “I am retired and live in Braishfield, just outside Romsey. I am married to Barbara and have a daughter and son. My daughter is married and has two daughters aged five and three. My son and his partner live in Denmark and they have a son aged nine. We have almost two acres of land, which take up a fair amount of time to maintain. I own my own yacht, a SHE36, which I race both inshore and offshore, with between one and five crew members. I am a member of Marchwood Yacht Club, where the yacht is moored. We are a “self help” club, where most of the maintenance and upkeep of the club and moorings is undertaken by club members. Only that way can most of us afford to keep a yacht and sail. I also sit on the Maintenance and Sailing Committees.” Jo lives in the north of the county, in a village between Basingstoke and Odiham, under the flight path of the Chinooks. She says: “When I am not driving down the M3 to do HANTSAR training, I am doing fitness classes, walking the dog, lifedrawing, volunteering at Naomi House, looking after my bees, etc. I am married to Patrick, who works for First Wessex, and we have three children, only one being still at home. Last summer, when the youngest passed his driving test, I found my
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time freed up and when I saw that HANTSAR were looking for volunteers, I thought it was a great thing to sign up for. I love being outdoors and am often free to drop what I’m doing and help to search. I think it is a really worthwhile use of my time. I joined in the New Year and became operational in April, but have yet to go on a callout. I have found everyone in the group very friendly, but as I get older, I find remembering names more difficult, so it’s really helpful to keep those ID badges visible!” Susa has been enjoying the country air on the edge of the New Forest, in West Wellow, for almost ten years now. “I’m originally from Cheshire,” she says, “but I left England when I was ten years old and have lived mainly in France, but also Algeria and the USA. I returned to England in 1998 and fell in love with the Romsey area. My husband, Ian, and I have two children: James, 13 and Matthew, 11 and both of them seem to grow like weeds. I joined HANTSAR in October 2011, completed my ST course with UKLSI in March 2012 and became operational in April. I like the outdoors, but more than that, I wanted to get off my tush and do something that makes a difference. I recently obtained a degree in Journalism (please don’t hold it against me) and I’m hoping I can use my communications skills to help HANTSAR. So, here’s to hoping you enjoy
www.hantsar.org the first newsletter of, hopefully, many. And, be warned, I’m usually the one holding the camera.”
at UKLSI. Michelle has also recently completed a tracking course at UKLSI.
In April, we also welcomed Gordon MacDonald and Lucy Garner to the team, both of whom have joined us from SEBEV.
• Alison Chestnutt, who has completed an ITC Outdoor First Aid course.
Gordon: “I am 33 years old and working as a Telecoms Project Engineer. I live in Faccombe (very north Hampshire). My interests are hills, hills and more hills or anything outdoors really. I first started my SAR journey back in late 2009, when I started with HANTSAR as a search technician, completing my ST course in-house. After six or seven months, I moved from Hampshire to Berkshire, so transferred to SEBEV where I stayed until fairly recently. While at SEBEV, I completed my Team Leader course with UKLSI and was invited back as an instructor, something I continue to do. I’m also an ex-soldier, having served 14 years in the Royal Engineers, spending most of my time as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) engineer and a counter terrorist/high risk search team member and commander. In my 14 years, I served in Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Canada, Germany, Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Iraq and Afghanistan.” We say farewell to Daz Andrews, Matt Perkins, Dave Whitham, Mark Day, Tam Whyte and Aysha. We hope you’ll keep in touch and that we’ll see you back soon when you have more time on your hands.
Courses and qualifications Congratulations to: • Michelle Morris, who is now a Team Leader, having successfully completed a weekend course
• Anne Collis, who has completed both Bronze and Silver NNAS courses. She personally recommends the organiser of the course, www. adamsonadventures.co.uk, who was able to arrange a course to fit around her availability and is always happy to discuss personal requirements. See Anne’s comments about the course later in this newsletter. • Steve Bavin, Kev McHugh and Tim Perry, who have all completed a Water Bank Search Train the Trainer course. Kev tells us more: “On Saturday 21st April, Steve (Scooby) Bavin, Tim (Tail-end Charlie) Perry and myself, Kev McHugh, ventured down to Kent, via a few beers and a sleep-over at Steve’s Mum’s (shhhh….she doesn’t know yet), to attend the Train the Trainer Water Bank Search Course. Not knowing what we had let ourselves in for, we apprehensively gathered with other units to find out what wetness the day would bring. Once the course outline had been explained and with us looking blankly at each other, we donned dry suits and buoyancy aids (that for some were a tad small) and then proceeded with throw line training, before moving on to river crossings. With a break for lunch in a café with the biggest teapot I’ve ever seen, we moved on to bank search techniques. Working under team leader Chris Duke, the four of us are looking forward to training the rest of the unit in bank searching.”
Hampshire Search and Rescue
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Water Awareness Training
Š Susa Dickerson
Summer 2012
www.hantsar.org Training Update from Bryan
Forthcoming Training
The time is now upon us for “Change”
Over the coming months we will be covering, in the field:
You will all be aware by now that ALSAR have introduced national competencies for both Team Leaders and Search Technicians. Simon Jeffs and I have been attending training meetings at national level giving our input and keeping our finger firmly on the pulse as to any changes to the competencies.
• • • • •
Crime Scene procedures First Aid and Casualty Recovery Practical Communication Navigation in the woods/Bearings General searcher techniques
We would also like to make the monthly Sunday training a permanent feature as this will help those who need to catch up on their training record.
Other news Update from Pete Whitlock
The National Training Standards were fully implemented on 1 May 2012 and it is now the responsibility of every HANTSAR member to check his/her training record for operational currency and notify the unit training officer of any outstanding sections that need to be completed. We do understand that there will be teething problems for the first few months with regards to completing and having competencies signed off. With this in mind, we are pleased with the effort that members are putting into attending as many training sessions as they can. Response to the Sunday training sessions, which have been introduced this year, has been better than expected with good attendance by members. Water Awareness I am very pleased to announce HANTSAR now has four members that have completed the Water Train the Trainer course run by ALSAR. This gives us not only a wider scope for water based search throughout the county, but also four instructors to aid the rest of us in completing our water awareness and water bank search requirements for the national standards. So, on behalf of HANTSAR, I’d like to say a big thank you and congratulations to Chris Duke, Steve Bavin, Kev McHugh and Tim Perry for attending the Water Awareness and Water Bank Search Train the Trainer course.
“Just to let you all know that I am going on OK, but it will be some time yet before I am fully fit. I went back to Salisbury Hospital for a check up on April 12th, which was eight weeks after my operation and of course I was in there for nearly three hours just for the Registrar to ask me how the pain was. My answer was no pain, but a very uncomfortable feeling with all the MECCANO in my back and that my leg muscles were still fairly weak. His reply was that it is very early days after such a big operation and he sent me for an X-ray on my bits of metal. When I got back to his room, he showed Hilda and me the picture of the lump of metal with loads of screws supporting my spine - it looked a nice neat job. I must still carry on being very careful and not bending my back yet and I will get another appointment in six months. Oh dear, more boring days doing nothing! However, it is all for my own good and I must not do anything silly to mess up all the good work that the surgeon has done (I wonder what my five hour op. cost - I hate to think). I am walking lots every day with two walking sticks, which is helping the muscle problem. When I get going I can walk fairly fast, similar to Nordic walking, but then when I sit down for some time, it all stiffens up again. I can’t win, but as I was told “early days yet,” so I must be a more patient patient. Around the house and garden, I do not use walking sticks and also up and down stairs is no problem. I have also started riding my bicycle the last few days to see if that will help. I am always watching what is going on with HANTSAR and I see that there is often a shortage of members to callouts and helpers for other fundraising events etc., so I will be very pleased when I can get back to do my bit again. I am hoping to be able to get to Eastleigh sometime to have a catch-up with you all. All the best to you all. Pete”
Since the creation of this newsletter, more new members have joined the operational ranks of Hampshire Search and Rescue. We would like to welcome them and will hopefully be featuring them in the next edition. If you would like to contribute to this section of the newsletter, please email newsletter@hantsar.org Hampshire Search and Rescue
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Summer 2012
Navigation Anne’s Way
Thinking of doing a navigation course? Anne tells us about her experiences.
M
y Bronze NNAS course took place in the Surrey Hills in the middle of March. There were three of us, plus David Adamson, the instructor. The other two participants were reasonably local; one I put in touch with SUSSAR, as he had recently retired and was looking for something to do. The other was a tour leader for walking holidays who proceeded to treat us all like his clients - funny to start with but wearing after two days! I’ve never been to the Surrey Hills area before and was surprised how hilly and lovely they were. The weather was great, which made a big difference. The syllabus for Bronze covers the basics for
navigation, map reading etc. and David ensured that we all understood and were confident with each section. We all took turns leading the group and helped each other when it looked like we were about to take a wrong turning. I stayed in a local youth hostel overnight, which was interesting (I haven’t stayed in a hostel since 2000). I’d forgotten what it was like to share a dorm room and bathroom, not that I actually shared a bathroom at the same time as anyone else! I really enjoyed the two days and was pleased to find out that I had passed! As a team leader, I need to be at the Silver level for navigation. I discussed this with David, who also happens to be a volunteer for the Galloway SAR
www.hantsar.org team, and he offered to run a Silver level NNAS course on dates that fitted in with me; he even did me a special price. At this point I didn’t know where the course would be held, but it had to be somewhere hilly. David suggested the Brecon Beacons and recommended a nice youth hostel. This time the hostel was a little bit more modern and the dorm room I used had its own en-suite! Plus the hostel provided dinner and breakfast, which was very welcoming after a hard day on the hills. Arriving in Brecon in the dark, I didn’t realise it had been snowing all day. The next morning, some of the snow had melted, but most of the hill-tops were still white. It turned out to be a lovely day, quite windy to start with, but very sunny in the afternoon. I had a good first day and was quite chuffed with my progress. I led us to a number of features using my compass and land contours For me, recognising the contours of the land from looking at the map was the hardest part of Silver. I did mislay a cairn, but we decided that it only existed on the map and not for real and that was an important learning point... not all features on the map are there! My second day wasn’t so good - I was suffering from severe foot pain, which made concentrating quite hard, especially when counting paces as a way of measuring distance. I was just so desperate to sit down that I even suggested finishing early and doing my second day again at some other time, so you will understand my delight when David told me I had passed.
Silver
Bronze
• Devise a strategy for a navigational stage, to break it down into ‘coarse’ and ‘fine’ navigation and to use clear features en route to check that they are ‘on course’. • Understand and apply the following components of a navigational strategy ‘aiming off’, ‘attack points’, ‘collecting features’, simplifying navigation, and apply them in varying terrain. • Demonstrate an understanding of contour features, both large and small, on the map and on the ground. • Demonstrate an understanding of the navigation physical and factors affecting route choice. • Judge distance accurately on the map and on the ground. • Plan a safe walk or route involving Silver award skills and strategies. • Employ simple relocation strategies when lost. • Use a compass to follow accurate bearings and to check the direction of footpaths or other linear features on both map and ground. • Demonstrate knowledge of the effects of fatigue and physical discomfort brought on by navigating in demanding countryside and/or extreme weather condition. • Knowledge of basic first aid is also expected. • Demonstrate knowledge and application of the Countryside Code and current access legislation as for the Bronze level together with an appreciation of basic environmental factors in mixing ‘man with nature’ (e.g. footpath erosion and methods of dealing with it), and responsibilities towards other countryside interests like farming, forestry and conservation.
• Understand the nature of a map as a two dimensional plan. • Understand how to use map symbols and scales, on a variety of maps.
If you are interested in updating your navigational skills you could also have a look at the NNAS website for more information about available courses: www.nnas.org.uk
Obviously there is more to the NNAS awards than we use in Lowland SAR, but now I have a lot more confidence when out leading a team during a search, or when I’m hill walking in the Lake District or even out in the New Forest! Editor’s note: the syllabuses above have been taken directly from the NNAS website
• Take a six figure grid reference for any given position and also locate such a reference on the map. • Orientate the map with and without a compass. • Use the orientated map to identify land features and indicate direction of travel. • Choose simple navigation strategies and routes. • Use linear features (e.g. paths and tracks) as handrails in simple navigation exercises. • Estimate distance on both map and ground. • Using a basic understanding of contours, match major landforms like hills and valleys to their map representation. • Plan a safe, suitable walk. • Relocate using simple techniques on paths and other handrails. • Understand access rights and responsibilities. • Demonstrate an awareness of local and national access issues and access legislation. • Demonstrate knowledge of the countryside code, and of procedures to be followed in the event of an emergency.
I would recommend using David Adamson – he is very knowledgeable and experienced. He was also very flexible on dates – if a number of you were to express an interest, I’m sure the cost would be reasonable. David can be contacted via his website www.adamsonadventures.co.uk At the end of the course David suggested I work towards my Summer Mountain Leader award. Mmm… I’ll need to give it some thought! He also suggested tagging along on one of his Winter Mountain Leadership courses – my response was “you’re kidding, right?”! For those of you who might be interested, the Bronze and Silver syllabuses are:
Hampshire Search and Rescue
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Summer 2012
HIDDEN DANGERS OF by Alison Chestnutt
LYME
fig 1 - spider-like ticks
I
fig 2 - bull’s-eye shape rash
t’s getting to that time of year when we should be thinking about checking ourselves for tick bites after we’ve been outdoors, in woodland or heathland. Ticks are tiny, spider-like insects (fig 1), found in woodland areas that feed on the blood of mammals, including humans. Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and can be transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected tick. If left untreated, it can spread to joints, the heart and the nervous system. Tick bites often go unnoticed and the tick can remain feeding for several days before dropping off. The longer the tick is in place, the higher the risk of it passing on the infection.
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Symptoms The earliest and most common symptom of Lyme disease is a pink or red circular rash (fig 2) that develops around the area of the bite, three to thirty days after being bitten. The rash is often described as looking like a bull’s-eye on a dart board. It gets bigger as time goes on. It is the one sure-fire symptom of Lyme disease, so if you develop such a rash, take a photo for your doctor: although some remain for weeks, others disappear in hours. You may also experience flu-like symptoms, such as tiredness, nausea, headaches and muscle or joint pain. If Lyme disease is left untreated, further symptoms may develop months or even years later which can be disabling
and difficult to treat. Unless in its early stages when a rash is present, diagnosing Lyme disease is often difficult, as many of the symptoms are similar to those of other conditions. Blood tests are useful and important but don’t always confirm diagnosis. Diagnosed cases of Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics.
How common is it? Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne infectious disease in Europe. People who spend time in woodland or heath areas are more at risk of developing Lyme disease, because these areas are where tick-carrying animals, such as deer and rodents, live. The Health Protection Agency estimates that there are two to three thousand cases of Lyme disease in England and Wales
www.hantsar.org
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
DISEASE fig 3 - ticks at different stages
fig 5 - O’Tom Tick Twister
fig 4 - recommended tick removal each year. Parts of the UK that are known to have a high population of ticks include the New Forest, the South Downs and parts of Wiltshire and Berkshire.
Prevention There is currently no vaccine to prevent Lyme disease. A BBC news item in 2011 included an informative video on ticks and an interview with a tick expert from the Health Protection Agency. He advised wearing light clothing, staying on paths and avoiding dense vegetation when outdoors – not something that we as searchers are able to do easily! Tucking trousers into socks or wearing gaiters will certainly help though. The best thing to do is to always check yourself once you are home, remove any ticks as soon as possible and keep an eye
out for any red “bull’s-eye” type rings around the bite site. While ticks can attach themselves anywhere, there are certain areas more preferable where blood is closer to the surface of the skin and it is warm and secure. On humans, ticks are most commonly found on the backs of knees, in the groin area, under the arms and on the scalp.
Tick removal The tick that generally bites humans (the nymph stage) can be as small as a poppy seed or a full stop (fig 3). If you do find a tick on your skin, remove it by gently gripping it as close to the skin as possible, preferably using fine-toothed tweezers, and pull steadily away
from the skin (fig 4). Wash the bite site with soap and warm water. Do not use a lit match, nail polish, petroleum jelly, or other topical agents in an attempt to remove a tick. It’s possible to buy special tick removal tools. I’ve found one of the most effective to be the O’Tom Tick Twister (fig 5), often available from vets or easily available online. This handy tool removes the whole tick easily without leaving the tick’s mouth in the skin. It uses a twisting action to remove the tick without compressing its abdomen, therefore reducing the risk of disease transmission. It can even be used on the tiniest ticks. For further information on Lyme disease see: www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk Hampshire Search and Rescue
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Summer 2012
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Hampshire Search and Rescue
www.hantsar.org
Forthcoming Events BBC Radio Solent - 12th August 2012 BBC Radio Solent, 96.1 Listen out for Simon and Alison, talking about HANTSAR on Nick Girdlers radio show, around 10am on Sunday 12th August 2012. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p003d430
Romsey Show - 8th September 2012 Broadlands Park, Romsey. 8am – 6pm. Extremely Popular Show “where town and country meet”. Admission Charges (on the day): Adults £15.00, Seniors (60 & over) £13.00, Children (under 16) £9, (under 5) FREE, Family (2 Adults & 2 Children) £40. See website for advanced tickets. www.romseyshow.co.uk Volunteers still needed to help at this event. If you can help, please contact Anne at events@hanstar.org
Walk The Test Way - 14th October 2012 In October 2011, four walkers nominated HANTSAR as their chosen charity for Walk the Test Way 2011. Between them, they raised a sponsorship total of £255.62. Many thanks to all! This year, Walk the Test Way is taking place on 14th October 2012, so why not sign up, alone or in a group and raise funds for HANTSAR. One thing we do well at HANTSAR is walk. Let’s show everyone how it’s done! For sign-up details and information take a look at the Walk the Test Way website. www.walkthetestway.org.uk
SUNDAY 14 OCTOBER 2012 SIX
REGISTER NOW ONLINE AT www.walkthetestway.org.uk
DISTANOOCESES TO CH FROM
Choose from any of 6 distances*... ...from a short stroll to a “marathon”!
Choose the Charity of you own choice... ...or help a Rotary Supported Charity The Rotary Club of Romsey Test Trust Fund Registered Charity No. 1029525
*2 miles right up to 25.5 miles
www.masterquote.co.uk
www.bettavend.co.uk
www.johnlewis.com
www.somethinginteresting.co.uk
www.shepherdneame.co.uk
Hampshire Search and Rescue
www.pebblegraphics.co.uk
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Summer 2012
Bryan Takes a Walk! On the 19th May, Bryan Skeen set off walking the 500 miles of the Camino de Santiago (The Way of St James). The initial inspiration for Bryan’s trip was a personal one, whilst also giving him an opportunity to raise some much needed funds for Hampshire Search & Rescue. Making the trip solo, Bryan hoped to meet other Pilgrims along the way. He started his walk at St Jean Pied de Port, in Southern France and concluded the 500 mile pilgrimage at Santiago de Compostela, North West coast of Spain. Bryan said: “I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to make this trip of a lifetime and I can only thank my wife for this, as she granted me a travel pass for six weeks. So, I could take in the whole experience at my own pace and take the odd day off to see some of the outstanding historical sites.” Bryan’s aim was to raise at least £1,000 for Hampshire Search and Rescue, so it could be put to good use within the charity and assist in saving the lives of vulnerable missing people. You can still support Bryan and HANTSAR by donating at www.everyclick.com/trek and find out, in our next issue, just how generous people have been!
Odds & Zak Our Hero Dog Our congratulations go to Zak and his handler Kevin Saunders, from Lowland Search Dogs Southern, who were recently nominated for the Dogs’ Trust Hero Service Dog award in the Dogs’ Trust Honours 2012 and did extremely well to come a very close second in the competition. Zak and Kev were nominated for their part in July 2011’s search for a vulnerable missing 74 year old man, who suffered from chronic health problems and Parkinson’s disease. He had left his home in Fleet to buy his morning paper and never returned. The search took place over three days and on the third day Zak found the missing man in an isolated area, very poorly, but thankfully still alive.
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Hampshire Search and Rescue
www.hantsar.org
Well Done Pam! In April, we were delighted to hear that Pam’s application to The Co-operative for a Community Fund Grant had been successful. HANTSAR was awarded £1500 to use towards purchasing personal GPS trackers, weatherproof holders and a new laptop. The presentation of the cheque took place on the 14th June. We are very grateful to the Co-op, not only for this grant, but a previous one too, which enabled us to purchase some more high-visibility jackets, complete with Co-op logo.
Ends
Bat Phone Do you have the HANTSAR ‘Bat Phone’ number programmed into your mobile? Please make sure our control vehicle mobile number is programmed into your mobile. The number is 07858 133256. It’s also helpful to have other team members’ mobile numbers programmed into your phone. You can find these in the members’ area on our website.
SMS App Never miss a callout again... Ever slept through a callout text message? Android users can download CustomSMS, a free app that will let you set a unique tone to each user and repeat the tone every xyz minutes, until you read the message. (NB: can be annoying when Simon sends out a group text about some first aid course in Cumbria going cheap and you can’t get to your phone whilst driving!) And if you want to know where to find that shrill Nokia beep beep tone or the original Nokia SMS morse code tone, go to www.goo.gl/U5E5x to download them.
Hampshire Search and Rescue
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www.hantsar.org
Caption Competition
Š Susa Dickerson
Why not have a go at thinking up a caption for the photo above - the most entertaining will feature in our next issue and the best one will be rewarded with one of our very own HANTSAR travel mugs.
-- thank you Chris for being a good sport! --
Please send all entries to newsletter@hantsar.org and include the subject title: Caption Comp - issue 1
Hampshire Search and Rescue
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Summer 2012
WE NEED YOU...
to help us find new members!
A
s you know, we are always on the lookout for new members and to achieve this, we need to get our recruitment poster positioned in local supermarkets, gyms, libraries, workplaces or any public area where it would be likely to catch the eye of responsible adults. This poster really works, as some of our new members will tell you! You can download a copy of the poster here – www. goo.gl/GyFK0. Please only print it in colour, with a good quality printer. If you do not have access to a colour printer, ask Phil Bridges to bring some printouts to the next training meeting. Posters being placed outdoors will need to be laminated (Phil can do this too, at no cost). In supermarkets, you can’t just pin these posters up yourself as they’ll be removed. Visit Customer Services and explain it’s for a local charity and they’ll often sign or stamp the rear of the poster with an authority of some sort and place it for you.
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Hampshire Search and Rescue
Charity No.1098332
Membership Enquiries Email: membership@hantsar.org 0330 3309506
http://hantsar.org
HAMPSHIRE SEARCH & RESCUE
HANTSAR is recruiting Operational and Support Members ! HANTSAR provides 24 hour support to the police searching for vulnerable missing people. In order to continue this service, we are looking for volunteers to join us. Training and clothing is provided. Contact us to see how YOU can make a difference.
With thanks to
www.hantsar.org
MISSING PERSONS?
© Susa Dickerson
by Tony Privett
H
ANTSAR could be missing a number of retired persons. Have you checked on your relatives recently? Are you sure they aren’t bored with having nothing to do? Once upon a time, I was lucky enough to be able to retire a few years early, what joy! No more alarm clocks, no more work, whoopee! This was great for about a year and then... oh dear, boredom began to set in, but I really did not want to get involved in regular paid work again. I was missing decision-making, responsibility,
planning, organising and perhaps a bit of getting people to do what I needed them to do (bossy). Perhaps I was lucky, as my son was already an operational team member. He suggested and arranged for me to attend a couple of “shouts” just to help out around control. The rest, as many of you already know, is history. I was hooked! Over the next couple of years: ST, TL and SC. Perhaps more importantly, new friends and contacts. Remember my opening lines... You’ve all heard of programmes
like Cash in the Attic, where people look for old relics in the roof. I’m going to suggest we have our own programme called, perhaps, Relics in the Lounge. The prize would be, not cash for you, but the rejuvenation of an old fogie like me (maybe not a good idea I hear some of you say). So come on, go and find your Mum, your Dad, your Granny or Grandad or even your Great Aunt Jemima and give them something interesting to do. More importantly, something to put in their diary and look forward to. Hampshire Search and Rescue
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Summer 2012
Last minute news New Forest Navigation We thought it was worth mentioning that New Forest Navigation are offering HANTSAR discounted rates for Bronze and Silver NNAS courses run locally and are happy to do small groups and one-to-ones. www.newforestnavigation.co.uk
HANTSAR Forum
For Sale:
If you would like to discuss something with other HANTSAR members or ask a question, or even organise an outing, BBQ or something, check out the HANTSAR forum. forum.hantsar.org - the login is the same as your web site members’ area login
Waist/Lumbar bag by The North Face. This black and red bag is about the size of a small day pack, with two main zipped compartments, sub-compartments in each and two mesh compartments on the outside, suitable for water bottles or other stuff. Compression straps let you batten down your load and outside D rings and elastic straps let you keep some gear outside the compartment. Fully-adjustable waistband. Excellent condition (as new). £15 – contact Alison Chestnutt.
HANTSAR fleece beanie hats (black), perfect for those chilly nights. A bargain at £5 each. HANTSAR insulated travel mug. Save the search controllers having to do the washing up by bringing your own mug with you to searches and events! Only £5 each. Contact Simon Jeffs to purchase either of the above.
Please let us know if you are self-employed or have a business you would like to advertise in the newsletter. Also, if you have any items for sale, we will be happy to list them. If you would like to contribute to this section of the newsletter, or purchase one of the items for sale, please email newsletter@hantsar.org
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Hampshire Search and Rescue
www.hantsar.org
THANK YOU PAM AND BRYAN! A
s you will all have heard by now, two valued committee members have recently had to stand down due to work and other commitments. Last month, Pam Skeen resigned as HANTSAR’s F u n d r a i s i n g Coordinator and this month, her husband, Bryan, also gave up his role as Training Officer.
like Pam, much of it behind the scenes, we wouldn’t be where we are now. Thank you Pam! We’re very pleased that Pam is going to remain with us as a support member.
Pam started her HANTSAR fundraising role three years ago and has played a key part with the unit by helping raise thousands of pounds by a variety of methods, such as running supermarket collection days, applying for grants from a range of organisations, running the lottery and organising the charity’s attendance at a number of events. Thanks to her, we now have the Land Rover (named Pam in her honour!) and new equipment such as uniforms, radios and GPS trackers. She was instrumental in obtaining grants to purchase gazebos, pop-up banners, etc. for our stands, which have helped raise our profile at events. It’s fair to say that without the enthusiasm and hard work of people
STOP PRESS!
Bryan took on the job of Training Officer early in 2010 and since then, has successfully organised the numerous training and assessment sessions that are essential to keep us operational. He has attended ALSAR meetings on our behalf and has initiated the Sunday morning training sessions which have proved to be useful and popular. As with all committee roles there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes and Bryan has been working hard to ensure that we all understand and attain the new ALSAR competencies. Thank you Bryan we’re sorry to lose you but delighted that you are going to remain with us as an operational member. We wish Pam and Bryan all the best and hope to see them both out and about soon.
...HANTSAR now has a YouTube Channel Go to www.youtube.com/hantsar for some useful tips on navigation, plus recent HANTSAR media activity and news for other ALSAR groups. Hampshire Search and Rescue
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HANTSAR News by Hampshire Search and Rescue is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.