A proposed ASTM International standard will provide a common way to test and certify a certain kind of search-and-rescue dogs (trailing dogs), to find missing people. The proposed standard (WK44540, Guide for Evaluating Trailing Search Dog Crews or Teams) will identify the expected minimal performance capabilities of a trailing team certification.
Trailing dogs can quickly determine direction of travel for a person’s last known point, helping search managers to best deploy limited resources.
Many training organizations have developed their own tests, making it difficult to compare certifications for equivalency. Developing a common standard will allow organizations to easily evaluate each other’s certifications, empowering search managers to most effectively use the teams arriving on the scene to help.
“The search for a lost or missing individual is commonly viewed as an emergency— the person being sought may be injured or suffering from a medical emergency,” says ASTM member Lee Lang, a seasonal National Park protection ranger. “Search managers need to be able to rapidly deploy resources, such as a trailing dog, and be confident that dogs can perform at a minimal expected performance level.”
All interested parties are welcome to join in the standards developing activities of Committee F32 on Search and Rescue. Lang notes that the committee has developed several key search-and-rescue standards in the last several years, and more are planned.
ASTM welcomes participation in the development of its standards. Become a member at www.astm.org/JOIN.
For more news in this sector, visit www.astm.org/sn-safety.
ASTM Committee F32 on Search and Rescue Next Meeting: Nov. 8-9, 2015, in conjunction with the International Tech Rescue Symposium, Portland, Ore.
Media Inquiries: Nathan Osburn, tel +1.610.832.9603; nosburn@astm.org
Technical Contact: A. Lee Lang, Fort Collins, Colo., tel +1.307.399.1345; aleelang@gmail.com
ASTM Staff Contact: Thomas O’Toole, tel +1.610.832.9739; totoole@astm.org
Release #9826
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