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Search and Rescue

Rescue swimmers from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak, Alaska, wait for a basket pickup by an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter during open water training. U.S. Coast Guard photo by PA1 Kurt Fredrickson

Search and Rescue (SAR) has always been a major Coast Guard mission. The RDC supports the SAR mission by using new knowledge and technology to improve the effectiveness of key SAR task components such as distress notification, search execution, object detection, and victim rescue. We also work to keep the Coast Guard SAR community apprised of new developments in SAR technology.

Current SAR-related RDC initiatives:

Thermal Oscar generates a heat signature similar to that of a human survivor in the water and can be used to test the performance of thermal infrared sensors used in search and rescue operations
An assessment and recommendation of existing environmental information sources (primarily surface winds and currents) for inclusion in the Coast Guard's new SAR Optimal Planning System (SAROPS). The project identifies information sources best suited for the Coast Guard SAR mission with the goal of improving our ability to reduce search area sizes and the location of search objects.
The Survival of Distressed Mariners project updates the Coast Guard's survival model for victims in the water or on survival craft. The goal is to improve decision-making on the duration of search efforts. The project will expand on the range of environmental conditions presently covered and uses a combination of physiological and empirical models developed by Department of Defense and international experts.
The Mass Rescue Operations project is focused on developing technological and procedural alternatives to address the problems, concerns, and causes associated with the rescue and evacuation of maritime casualties involving a large number of people.

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Last Modified 1/26/2012