Search and Rescue System & Roles

Question 1

What two international organisations co-ordinate ‘member states’ efforts for the provision of search and rescue?

Answer 1

ICAO - International Civil Aviation Organisation
IMO - International Maritime Organisation

Question 2

Name three international conventions that in ratifying Australia has accepted the obligation to provide SAR coordination and services.

Answer 2

1. Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)
2. International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue
3. Convention on International Civil Aviation

Question 3

Fill in the gap. The provision of aeronautical maritime and land based search and rescue involves at the Commonwealth level ______________ and Australian Defence Force, and at the State level the relevant police force.

Answer 3

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA)

Question 4

JRCC Australia has a number of responsibilities. List them.

Answer 4

a) Coordinating SAR in respect of civil registered aircraft;
b) Coordinating maritime SAR for persons on or from a vessel at sea (jointly with police);
c) Managing the Australian Mission Control Centre (AUMCC) for the COSPAS - SARSAT distress beacon locating system;
d) Operation of the Modernised Australian Ship Tracking and Reporting System (MASTREP);
e) Promulgation of Maritime Safety Information (MSI);
f) Provision of information on maritime activities such as oil pollution, offshore mineral exploration and dumping at sea;
g) Providing assistance to other Australian SAR agencies to fulfil their obligations; and
h) Providing assistance to other Australian and emergency response authorities to enable them to meet their obligations in regard to SAR.

NATSAR 1.1.15

Question 5

Which Responsible Authority would have overall co-ordination authority for the following scenarios?

1. The pilot reported forced landing of N123AB
2. A Navy Seahawk helicopter operating from Nowra Airbase is missing
3. A Rowboat is sinking off Rosebud Beach in Port Philip Bay
4. A hang glider club telephone to advise that a member has disappeared over a forest area
5. A farmer telephones to say an aircraft on fire with 24-3457 on the wing disappeared from his view over the ridge.

Answer 5

1. JRCC
2. ADF
3. Police
4. Police
5. JRCC

Question 6

What are the four responsibilities of Airservices Australia as defined in the National Search and Rescue Manual (1.1.32)?

Answer 6

1. All Air Traffic Services (ATS) units, as a function of their alerting service responsibilities, have a responsibility for the declaration of SAR phases for aircraft, to classify the severity of emergencies and alert JRCC Australia.
2. In addition, all ATS units are required to act as intermediaries between persons reporting an aircraft in need of assistance and JRCC Australia.
3. ATS units are responsible for providing in–flight emergency response (IFER) services. ATS units are required to refer incidents likely to culminate in a forced landing, ditching or crash to JRCC Australia at the earliest opportunity.
4. To the extent that their traffic responsibilities allow, ATS units are required to provide communications between the search aircraft and the responsible SAR Authority. This normally involves the relay of requests, instructions and information between the responsible JRCC and aircraft.

Question 7

What is JRCC?

Answer 7

The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre

Question 8

Under which act was AMSA established?

Answer 8

The Australian Maritime Safety Act

Question 9

Who is the international point of contact for Australian search and rescue operations?

Answer 9

JRCC

Question 10

What kind of training does AMSA provide?

Answer 10

• Aircrew
• Dropmaster and Dispatchers
• Air Observer
• Aviation Search and Rescue Units

Question 11

What is the role of ICAO and IMO with respect to the global SAR system, and what are their goals?

Answer 11

The international Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) coordinate, on a global basis, member States’ efforts to provide search and rescue (SAR) services.

Briefly, the goal of ICAO and IMO is to provide an effective worldwide system, so that wherever people may be in danger, in the air or at sea, SAR services, as referenced in the International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue Manual, will be available if needed.

Question 12

What is Australia’s area of responsibility with respect to SARs known as?

Answer 12

The Australian Search and Rescue Region

This covers the Australian continent and large areas of the Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans (10% of the earth’s surface, 53 million square km).

Question 13

What differences are there between Australia’s maritime and aviation SRRs?

Answer 13

1. The maritime SRR only extends to the Antarctic coast, whilst the aviation SRR extends to the South Pole.
2. A minor difference in the north east corner of the SRR.

Question 14

When did the JRCC come into operation?

Answer 14

1997, when the search and rescue functions of Airservices and AMSA merged.

Question 15

The JRCC acts as the AMSA 24/7 point of contact for what?

Answer 15

1. Search and Rescue
2. Salvage and Intervention
3. Pollution
4. Ship and Seafarer Safety

Question 16

Provide some examples of Search and Rescue Roles

Answer 16

1. SAR Mission Commander (SMC)
2. On-scene Coordinator (OSC)
3. Aircraft Coordinator (ACO)
4. Allocator/Planner
5. Recorder/Logger
6. Briefing Officer
7. Intelligence Officer
8. Rescue Planner
9. Liaison Officer

Question 17

Under the National SAR Plan, and international agreements, what may the JRCC use when it lacks dedicated resources?

Answer 17

1. Ships at sea (who are a party to SOLAS)
2. Civil aircraft
3. Defence Force Assets
4. Police
5. Volunteer SAR organisations.

Question 18

What aviation SAR resources can the JRCC call upon?

Answer 18

1. Civil SAR units - CSUs
2. Police/SES
3. Royal Flying Doctors Service
4. Domestic General Aviation
5. Coastwatch
6. ADF
7. Scheduled Passenger Transport

Question 19

What kind of dedicated aircraft does the JRCC to provide a search and rescue capacbility over land and sea?

Answer 19

Bombardier Challenger CL604

Question 20

What are the characteristics of the JRCC’s Bombardier Challenger CL604s?

Answer 20

• The aircraft are available for search and rescue tasking at short notice, 24 hours a day, seven days a week
• Sophisticated navigation system
• High vision observer window
• High bandwidth satcom
• Video anomaly detection system
• Search and rescue direction finder.
• Acacia Mission Management System
• SAR Stores Inventory
• Inflight Door
• SAR direction finder
• Multi-mode search radar
• High definition electro optic turret

Question 21

What marine SAR resources does the JRCC have access to?

Answer 21

1. Police
2. Merchant Shipping
3. Australian and Foreign Fishing
4. Royal Australian Navy
5. Volunteer Rescue Groups
6. Private Pleasure Craft

Question 22

Who trains Civil SAR units?

Answer 22

JRCC

Question 23

What are Civil SAR Units?

Answer 23

Contracted aircraft Search operators formally trained and equipped by the JRCC to perform a SAR response.

Question 24

The provision of aeronautical, maritime and, the additional land-based SAR service involves __________

Answer 24

Commonwealth, State and Territory authorities and organisations: The Australian Maritime Safety Authority and the Australian Defence Force at the Commonwealth Level; and the relevant police service or force at the State and Territory level, are the relevant SAR authorities within Australia.

Question 25

Other than SAR, what is AMSA responsible for?

Answer 25

1. Provision and maintenance of maritime navigation aids
2. Port state control and safety inspection of foreign ships
3. Prevention of and response to marine pollution.

Question 26

What is AusSAR?

Answer 26

Australian Search and Rescue

A functional description of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s role in maritime and aviation SAR coordination, communications, and the provisions of SAR units.

AusSAR does not exist as a discrete entity inside AMSA.

The term JRCC Australia is preferred.

Question 27

How is the appropriate authority for a SAR determined?

Answer 27

Who/what is involved in the incident.

The division is not clear in some areas and cooperation is the key to successful SAR.

Question 28

With respect to SAR, what is the ADF responsible for?

Answer 28

• The Commonwealth Government, through the Australian Defence Force (ADF) is responsible for the provision of SAR for all ADF and visiting military ships, aircraft and personnel when undertaking operations and exercises.
• This responsibility is exercised through Chief of Joint Operations (CJOPS) located at Headquarters Joint Operations Command (HQJOC) unless ,by mutual agreement, it is transferred to the “best placed” SAR authority

Question 29

JRCC Australia is responsible for SAR action in respect of?

Answer 29

1. International civil aircraft, manned space vehicles and aircraft on the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and Recreational Aviation Australia (RA-Aus) Registers.
2. Persons on or from a Vessel at Sea (other than those for which the ADF is responsible).

Question 30

State, Territory and Federal Police are responsible for SAR actions in respect of?

Answer 30

1. Persons and vehicles on land;
2. Persons and vessels on inland waterways and in waters within the limits of the ports of the relevant State or Territory;
3. Persons on or from a vessel at sea;
4. Aircraft not included on the CASA and RA-Aus registers including ultra-lights, para-gliders and gyrocopters;
5. Coordinating land searches for missing registered civil aircraft in support of the Australian SAR Authority (JRCC Australia); and
6. Coordinating the operations of volunteer rescue organisations within their respective jurisdictions.

Question 31

In which aspects of SAR operations are Civil Search and Rescue Units given training in?

Answer 31

One or more of the following:

• Visual search procedures/techniques;
• Airborne location of distress beacons using aural homing techniques;
• Airborne location of distress beacons using DF equipment;
• On ground location of localised distress beacons;
• Operation of electronic sensor systems in SAR operations;
• Aerial delivery of supplies/equipment overland and/or over water; and
• Helicopter rescue techniques.

Question 32

In what ways might JRCC Australia assist Airservices?

Answer 32

1. Arranging for the provision of ditching forecasts from the BoM
2. Position of ships in the area of ditching forecasts and any reports of local weather conditions
3. Arranging coordination of maritime assets for over water emergencies
4. On request provide access to the JRCC Australia Aviation Database information in relation to contact and airfield details when Airservices Australia is the lead agency, providing general assistance where resources are available.

Question 33

What are Airservices Australia responsibilities with respect to SAR?

Answer 33

1. All Air Traffic Services (ATS) units, as a function of their alerting service responsibilities, have a responsibility for the declaration of SAR phases for aircraft, to classify the severity of emergencies and alert JRCC Australia.
2. In addition, all ATS units are required to act as intermediaries between persons reporting an aircraft in need of assistance and JRCC Australia.
3. ATS units are responsible for providing in–flight emergency response (IFER) services. ATS units are required to refer incidents likely to culminate in a forced landing, ditching or crash to JRCC Australia at the earliest opportunity.
4. To the extent that their traffic responsibilities allow, ATS units are required to provide communications between the search aircraft and the responsible SAR Authority. This normally involves the relay of requests, instructions and information between the responsible RCC and aircraft.

Question 34

How shall handover of SAR responsibility be completed?

Answer 34

Verbally:
1. By the ATSO with operational command authority stating “Request JRCC Australia (HQJOC-AOC) accepts responsibility for SAR action on {Aircraft Call Sign}”
2. and receiving the response “JRCC Australia (HQJOC-AOC) accepts SAR responsibility for {Aircraft Call Sign}”

In Writing:
1. Domestic: completion of an Urgent SAR Message Form.
2. International: International Alerting Message Form (ALR)