Communicating with the subject's family
Page updated: 30 November 2020
Continue to communicate with the family of the subject during the Operations stage. The family of the subject includes people who have a close relationship to the subject, but are not related.
Ensure an appropriate person communicates with the family
By the Operations stage, someone from the SAR operation should be regularly communicating with the family of the subject.
The person who speaks with the family should be:
- empathetic
- able to develop a trusting relationship with the subject's family
- capable of managing stress
- familiar with SAR operations and their processes
- a member of the New Zealand Police if possible.
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The role of Family Liaison Officers and their interaction with family members plays an important part in SAR operations.
Keep the subject's family up to date
Communicate regularly with the family during the Operations stage. The family of the subject should be informed about what is going on before anyone outside the SAR operation knows about it.