Search and Rescue - Lasers and Signaling Devices

[Dan]

Well considering US law allows for use of a laser in a distress or SAR situation I don’t think a real SAR party would be crying about a laser hit from the person they are looking for like most of the keyboard warriors on here with opinions

I haven’t heard about the use of laser in SAR situation. Any link to share stating such “US law”?

 

[dmaziuk]

Hey I paid good money for this laser, you dem right I'm gonna start shining it at every passing object to get me money's worth mister. Your eyes are your problem.

 

[-JD-]

Well considering US law allows for use of a laser in a distress or SAR situation I don’t think a real SAR party would be crying about a laser hit from the person they are looking for like most of the keyboard warriors on here with opinions

Actually, If you read through the thread, several people that actually go up in the sky to find/rescue/transport people have said they will just go home if their crew is blasted by a laser.

Lasers will only be noticed off-axis if there is sufficient atmospheric interference to scatter the beam. Otherwise, you pretty much need to hit them in the eyes to get noticed (which is not going to be easy if you are trying while bobbing around)

There are better choices!

Strobe/Mirrors
PLBs (Satellite based SOS)
Radios/AIS
Powerful torches
Flares
Big SMBs
Streamers
Dye
...

Lets call the lasers plan "F" for when you have nothing else.

 

[tursiops]

No. You didn't get anything right.

SAR team members would very much like a lost person to use a "flash of light" to get their attention. By signal mirror, strobe, flashlight... that'd be great. But we are talking about lasers specifically.
And oh, you can't find a news story on a heli going down due to laser? How many did you find that declared emergency and left a mission because of it? Are you selectively ignoring those? Like you're selectively ignoring a lot of things in this thread alone?

It's becoming clear that you have never had any training in rescuing other people, not even a basic CPR course. If you had, you would remember the very first thing you are taught - the thing that gets pounded into your head over and over - the critical fail point of essentially EVERY practical skills exam: scene safety. You do NOT jeopardize your safety, or another rescuers safety, in exchange for a patient.

Let me give you a different context that might help you understand this.
You're on a SAR team and you are looking for some person who is lost along a hiking trail. There's a lot of tall scraggly brush around (hard to see someone lying down), and it's real hot out. You've been looking for hours, and this guy is in danger of going down from heat exposure. Unknown to you and your search group, he sees/hears you from across a small ravine, 100m away. He is too weak to effectively call out to you. BUT, OH WAIT! He has a 9mm handgun for whatever reason. Thinking "it's not going to be my fault that you didn't spot me," he fires it in your general direction to get your attention. You don't see him, but you do hear the gunshot and puff of dust nearby - and then a few more scattered around. You are going to leave.

You've had pilots tell you not to use lasers. You've had AirOps crew members tell you not to use lasers. You've had SAR members tell you not to use lasers. You've been told why they aren't preferred. You've been given alternatives, including cheap equipment you likely already have. You've been told why those alternatives are preferred.
It appears to me that all those folks saying 1mW lasers will blind pilots are repeating myths they've heard. The science and research fo not support that fear.

Seems like a lot of pilot or digital-pilot folks are repeating an old myth they've heard somewhere.
The science and research suggest a 1mW laser is not going to be the problem they are afraid of....
see https://www.scubaboard.com/community/posts/8599750/

 

[tursiops]

I haven’t heard about the use of laser in SAR situation. Any link to share stating such “US law”?

Oops. Wrong link. Here is the right one:
https://www.scubaboard.com/community/posts/8597941/

 

[Diver below 83]

Oops. Wrong link. Here is the right one:
https://www.scubaboard.com/community/posts/8597941/

Thank you for posting that. So yes again lasers can and are accepted uses for distress or SAR.

I haven’t seen anyone post factual information about a real world experience where a SAR team turned around and left the search because they were hit with a laser. You won’t find one because that doesn’t happen. If a SAR was searching the ocean and they were hit by a random laser somewhere in the ocean blackness no respectable rescue team is turning home and crying foul, in fact they would do the opposite and go investigate the light source.

We aren’t talking about police helicopters over urban areas randomly being shot by public.

 

[Diver below 83]

Actually, If you read through the thread, several people that actually go up in the sky to find/rescue/transport people have said they will just go home if their crew is blasted by a laser.

Lasers will only be noticed off-axis if there is sufficient atmospheric interference to scatter the beam. Otherwise, you pretty much need to hit them in the eyes to get noticed (which is not going to be easy if you are trying while bobbing around)

There are better choices!

Strobe/Mirrors
PLBs (Satellite based SOS)
Radios/AIS
Powerful torches
Flares
Big SMBs
Streamers
Dye
...

Lets call the lasers plan "F" for when you have nothing else.

Again I’ve seen nothing but “opinions” of people who claim to go up or have had experience. I haven’t seen one bit of factual evidence that a SAR team gave up searching for someone in the ocean because a laser was spotted in the sea.

 

[Dan]

With such controversial arguments between pro & con of using laser as SAR signaling device, I’ll opt it out of my list, including IR beacon. I already have plenty of signaling devices to carry around when diving anyway.

 

[wgw04024]

If I am in the search aircraft, and you shine a laser on one of the crew, I am declaring a medical emergency and returning to base immediately, even if that means that we leave you behind. Kind of counter productive.

How dumb does a person have to be to put the people that are trying to save you at risk in any way? It might not be your fault that they don't see you, but it could be your fault that they don't rescue you if they feel that they are at risk of being lased..

Well that is beyond retarded. Wait till the press, and every other person hears of this incident and the person actually trying to be rescued dies because of this. Rightly so, it'll be a feeding frenzy on that crew.

Do you even listen to the things you people post regarding this stuff?!

 

[Diver below 83]

With such controversial arguments between pro & con of using laser as SAR signaling device, I’ll opt it out of my list, including IR beacon. I already have plenty of signaling devices to carry around when diving anyway.

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I think your well stacked lol