Release 1.  This is the first release of this unit of competency in the PUA Public Safety Training Package.

This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required to search for and locate lost persons and/or items as a member of a land search team.

The unit is applicable to individuals who are required to perform a land search as a member of a team, under the direction of a team leader, in a range of environments and conditions.

No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

The fire sector is those sections of government departments, statutory authorities or organisations that have responsibility under jurisdictional arrangements for the delivery of firefighting and fire management services.

It is essential that the prerequisite units listed below are obtained prior to the issuance of this unit to individuals within the fire sector or the units contributing to the attainment of a fire qualification.

PUAFIR210 Prevent injury

Search and Rescue

Not applicable

ELEMENTS 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

Elements describe the essential outcomes.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element.

1  

Prepare for land search 

1.1 

Operation and task information is obtained and assessed and safety briefing is received

1.2 

Incident information is used to determine personal protective clothing and equipment needed for search operation, appropriate to search terrain

1.3 

Land search equipment is identified, checked and packed for use in the expected terrain and conditions

2 

Participate in search 

2.1 

Specified team roles and functions for search operations are carried out and safety briefing is conducted and/or attended

2.2 

Search techniques are maintained, as specified by the search coordinator

2.3 

Search boundaries are marked, in accordance with organisational procedures and task requirements

2.4 

Observation skills are applied and any clues that locate persons or objects are reported immediately, in accordance with organisational procedures

2.5 

Communication is maintained within the team, in accordance with organisational procedures

2.6 

Personal capabilities and limitations are recognised and referred to the supervisor

3 

Maintain search safety 

3.1 

Survival techniques are applied, as required

3.2 

Search safety procedures are implemented, in accordance with organisational procedures

3.3 

Lost searcher procedures are implemented, as required

4 

Preserve scene 

4.1 

Supervisor is immediately advised of located persons or findings, in accordance with organisational procedures

4.2 

Initial preservation procedures are implemented to maintain the integrity of evidence

4.3 

Initial and/or ongoing scene preservation is conducted, in accordance with organisational procedures

5 

Complete stand down procedures 

5.1 

Search equipment is recovered, cleaned and maintained, in accordance with organisational procedures and manufacturers' specifications

5.2 

Operational debriefing is participated in and documentation is completed, in accordance with organisational procedures

5.3 

Symptoms of operational stress in self and others is recognised and reported to appropriate personnel

5.4 

Decontamination procedures are followed, in accordance with organisational procedures

Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.

Range is restricted to essential operating conditions and any other variables essential to the work environment.

Non-essential conditions may be found in the Companion Volume Implementation Guide.

This unit replaces and is equivalent to PUASAR027A Undertake land search rescue.

Release 1.  This is the first release of this unit of competency in the PUA Public Safety Training Package.

Evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy all the requirements of the elements and performance criteria on at least one occasion and includes

• applying decontamination procedures
• applying Work, Health and Safety (WHS)/Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) requirements
• attending and receiving safety briefings
• communicating with others using appropriate methods and techniques
• completing organisational documentation including notes, photographs, sketches of findings and/or other information that may be required for coronial or legal proceedings
• completing stand down procedures
• complying with search orders and organisational requirements
• demonstrating situation awareness
• determining specified team roles based on the selected search pattern requirements
• following organisational policies and procedures
• identifying personal capabilities and/or limitations
• implementing lost searcher procedures
• implementing survival techniques and dealing appropriately with clues and location of objects and/or causalities
• maintaining search safety
• marking search boundaries whilst applying spacing and boundary marking procedures
• observing the safety of self and others during a search
• participating in and contributing to briefing and debriefing sessions
• participating in land search
• preserving scenes
• recognising and reporting signs of stress
• recognising search terrains
• selecting, checking, maintaining and cleaning equipment
• undertaking search operations in a variety of terrains and conditions including using day and night observation skills
• using land search rescue equipment
• wearing personal protective clothing and equipment
• working in a team

Evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy all the requirements of the elements and performance criteria and includes knowledge of

• communication methods and techniques
• decontamination implementation procedures
• hazards and environmental threats
• incident information
• lost searcher procedures
• operation and task information including type of information to be collected and assessed
• organisational documentation, policies and procedures
• personal protective clothing and equipment
• potential land search conditions and terrain
• procedures for briefings and debriefings
• procedures to locate person or object
• recall procedures including state and territory search management arrangements
• requirements to preserve a crime scene and evidence
• rescue equipment
• safety briefings
• search operations
• signs and symptoms of operational stress
• specified team roles based on selected search pattern including track line search, parallel line search and creeping line search, barrier search
• survival techniques
• Work, Health and Safety (WHS)/Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) requirements including risk mitigation

As a minimum, assessors must satisfy applicable regulatory requirements, which include requirements in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations current at the time of assessment.

As a minimum, assessment must satisfy applicable regulatory requirements, which include requirements in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations current at the time of assessment.

Assessment must occur in workplace operational situations where it is appropriate to do so; where this is not appropriate, assessment must occur in simulated workplace operational situations that replicate workplace conditions.

Assessment processes and techniques must be appropriate to the language, literacy and numeracy requirements of the work being performed and the needs of the candidate.

Resources for assessment must include access to

• a range of relevant exercises, case studies and/or simulations
• relevant and appropriate materials, equipment, tools and personal protective clothing and equipment used in industry
• applicable documentation including organisational procedures, industry standards, equipment specifications, regulations, codes of practice and operations manuals.