All Available Resources: Partnering to Advance the Global SAR System
By Matthew Mitchell, Founder and CEO, International Association of Search and Rescue Coordinators (IASARC)
To my left was Captain Esther Saleh, Asia’s first female experimental test pilot; to my right was Dr. Robert Koester, the world’s leading researcher on lost person behavior; and shaking my hand was Brigadier General Mohammad Abdulaziz Ishaq Al-Ishaq, the Commander of Qatar’s Rescue Coordination Center. Remarkably, as diverse as this small group was, it was merely one amongst dozens of similar groups at one of the world’s most extensive search and rescue (SAR) conferences, the International Search and Rescue (ISAR) Conference and Exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Since the tragic loss of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in 2014, Malaysia has emerged as not only a regional leader but a global leader in advancing the lifesaving efforts of SAR. Now in its tenth year, ISAR draws nearly 50 nations and some of the enterprise’s top innovators from academia, nonprofits, and leading governmental SAR organizations such as the U.S. Coast Guard.
Demonstrating the expanding diversity and reach of ISAR, this year’s event saw opening remarks by Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, Director General of India’s National Maritime Foundation, as well as Mr. Roland McKie of the International Maritime Rescue Federation. Speakers ranged from technology innovators, such as Zelim Ltd., a Scottish-based developer of artificial intelligence detection systems, to my work on behalf of the International Association of Search and Rescue Coordinators (IASARC) on the impact of human factors on SAR decision-makers.
Engrained in the ethos of this enterprise is the ideal that saving lives must take advantage of all available resources. The International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue (IAMSAR) Manual implores nations to “effectively use all available resources for SAR, including global, regional, national, private, commercial, and volunteer resources.”
Lifesaving knows no borders. It is indifferent to the origins of the rescuer, or whether aid is rendered from a government, nonprofit, or the private sector. What matters is the coordination and cooperation among all those whose efforts may be brought to bear to ensure the imperiled are saved. And this is not only at the operational level, among those whose hands pull the distressed from the water, but at the global strategic level, among those whose hands are on the helm of the enterprise writ large. ISAR exemplifies the best of this foundational attribute of the global lifesaving enterprise - partnering among all available resources to improve the world’s lifesaving mission.
Matthew Mitchell and Major Murali Bhaskaran (Royal Malaysia Air Force, retired) at the 10th Annual ISAR
ISAR’s principal sponsor is Global SAR Resources, the SAR training and consulting company based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Their founder and CEO, Major Murali Bhaskaran RMAF (Rtd), has become a proven leader in SAR training throughout the region, working tirelessly with both governmental SAR authorities, volunteer organizations, and various industries to improve lifesaving skills and grow capabilities. Notably, Major Murali and I have come together to develop a partnership that will leverage the vast network of Global SAR Resources throughout Asia to inform and improve IASARC’s SAR coordination certification program.
Whether an adventurer traveling abroad, a sailor bringing goods to a foreign shore, or a survivor of an aircraft emergency, people worldwide will continue to need aid in their darkest hour. One can’t help but be encouraged by events such as ISAR and the impact of collaborative SAR partnerships, which present some of the best humanity has to offer – people working together, collaboratively, for one of the noblest of all human endeavors. At IASARC, we are honored and humbled to be part of this global effort to save lives.
