The Washington State SAR Planning Unit (SSPU) was formed to provide advanced search planning resources to assist regional incident command staff during extended or complex SAR missions.  This session provides an overview of:  Our mission, our team, and the services that we can provide, along with examples of our support at recent search missions.

The primary functions of the SSPU are:  To turn incident information into actionable intelligence; to provide search planning strategies and recommendations; to provide technical mapping services; and to apply modern search theory to challenging search incidents.

The SSPU is a team of experienced SAR volunteers with extensive training in search management and planning.  We operate under the auspices of the Washington State Emergency Management Department.

SSPU services can include:  Search incident analysis; search planning strategies and recommendations; technical mapping services, and application of formal search theory.  This assistance can take the form of:  A Remote Search Plan delivered to on-site Incident Command; an Incident Action Plan; or SSPU staff deploying on scene to staff PLANS functions.

Examples of recent missions will include:  (1) A search for a missing hiker that extended over several months and 9 operational periods; and (2) SSPU planning and operational support for the largest evidence search (for human remains) in Washington State history.