The Changing Face of Search and Rescue

Recently, Panasonic donated three TOUGHBOOK 33 devices to Search Dogs Sussex, a team of dedicated dogs and handlers who have been donating their time to support Police services since 2003. Search Dogs Sussex is one of the UK’s largest search dog teams and covers nearly one million acres of land, in which nearly 1.5 million people live. Part of the Lowland Rescue network, Search Dogs Sussex is on call 24/7, 365 days a year. On average, the team are mobilised over 35 times a year, often deploying to neighbouring counties.  

When a missing person call is received, the team is deployed, guided by a text message on their phones sharing any necessary information: who they are looking for, their search area, and any background information on the person. Once on the ground, however, it is essential that each search member has the ability to report back to the incident response vehicle, sharing vital information to the search.

For legal reasons, there is a large amount of paperwork to be filled in for every search operation, each needing team members to report on the incident in a specific format with all of the right questions asked and answered. Previously, incident reports from a Search Dogs Sussex operation were completed on paper, requiring additional manual input from search operators. Now with a digital framework, the Search Dogs Sussex team can complete paperwork quickly and efficiently, with the necessary level of traceability for incident response and coroners’ reports.

Built to be functional in bright sunlight, heavy rain, extreme cold, and dusty environments, the devices are as robust as the search operators using them. Each TOUGHBOOK device is also equipped with a SIM card and an internal modem and antennae to ensure reliable connectivity across remote search areas, and to allow the team to integrate their processes directly into the main system. This saves precious time when a search is underway.

Whilst modern-day SAR combines the best of traditional and newer methods to respond to an incident, the efforts of Search Dogs Sussex and wider SAR teams across the UK is only as effective as its weakest link. Replacing paper-based tasks with TOUGHBOOK devices ensures a quick and reliable flow of information flow amongst teams, which can be critical in ultimately, saving someone’s life.