QUESTION ... What would your team do differently?

[BladesRobinson]

We select which family member to deal with by watching the family during the initial response. One member of the team is designated to conduct family interviews and that diver generally selects the most composed family member at the time. So far we've had success using this method as that person, after being fully briefed and educated regarding risk/benefit assessments, etc generally will go back to the family and speak highly of what we are or are not doing.

I like that idea!

We had a situation a while back where the victim was not located inside our search area. We too kept the family involved in briefings and they were keenly aware of what was done, what was planned and understood the challenges we faced. The family was out biggest advocate and when dozens of the victim's friends showed up the next morning, we let them coordinate the "volunteer" search effort and showed them how to assign groups of volunteers to various shorelines with proper safety recommendations, a recall system (in case the victim was found) and a system to "check out/check in" the volunteers so no one would be left behind or forgotten.

These folks covered shorelines while our team continued to focus the underwater search (dive and side scan SONAR). The family helped up keep these helpful friends/volunteers/bystanders busy and out of our way, and it kept them busy too, doing something worthwhile and helpful. On the morning of day 3 it was one of these "friends" who located the victim a little greater that a mile from the last seen point, along a shoreline. The helicopter crew had not spotted the victim during their flyover so this was one of those times where family and friends were very helpful.

Had we told these folks not to go near the water, they would have stood around on shore watching us be unsucessul in our efforts, and complining to the press. We utilized them to the best of their ability and it worked out extremely well for us AND the family.

I like the idea of having a chaplain and I also like the idea of selecting the BEST family member to work with instead of the first family member who shows up on scene.

Yotsie, thanks for your recommendation.

Possibly, if the team in the original newspaper article had the resources of chaplain or could assign a member to keep the family informed and focused (working in partnership) they would not have the negative PR. This is one of those unfortunate incidents that is bad for the team and tragic for the friends and family members.

If anyone else has some ideas on how to keep the energies of the family directed in a "positive" direction, please pass them along. ... I forgot to mention that we also took the family up on their offer to prepare lunch for our members and the volunteers. That kept the family busy and they contributed (again) to the overall sucess of the operation.

 

[Kayla]

Seems to me like they did exactly what they should have. I have a sign up at work that says "Victim's have bad days, rescuers don't."

Its not worth it to lose one of my guys, especially in a situation like that where more then likely its going to be a body recovery anyway. Its a crappy call to have to make... but it sounds like they did it right.