About the Planning stage
Page updated: 27 November 2020
Planning is the third stage of a SAR operation. It focuses on developing and confirming a variety of plans to support the creation of an Incident Action Plan.
The Planning stage involves creating an Incident Action Plan
The Incident Action Plan (IAP) is an overarching plan. It brings together different areas of search and rescue activity and documents how these areas will work together to achieve the operation’s goal. The Incident Action Plan also includes sub-plans including:
- a search plan
- a rescue plan
- a communications plan
- a logistics plan
- a demobilisation plan.
An Incident Action Plan relies on intelligence and analysis
To create an appropriate Incident Action Plan, Incident Controllers need to complete other activities.
These activities include:
- turning information into intelligence
- evaluating the situation
- developing a profile of the subject
- considering the subject's likely behaviour
- considering possible scenarios.