Dave Lovelock! Ah,yes...Glad he is still active!

One of the advantages of a volunteer organization is that folks qualified in many disparate fields and activities can contribute and pool their expertise. We had engineers, hard rock miners, and even archaeologists (useful for observing subtle clue son the ground, all with interest in the outdoors, especially technical rock climbing, caving,and river running. One of our number was Dr. John Bounds, a mathematician on the faculty at the University of Arizona, and a pioneer in developing mathematical models to guide rational decisions in SAR management. In the 1970s, under John's guidance, we commenced controlled evaluations of various search techniques.

I can certify that there is an enormous difference between my first SAR experience, a splendid example of how not to conduct a search, and later, far more effective operations.

Reading the reports earlier in this thread, it seems that something like 1000 people from the local communities volunteered in some manner or another. Doubtless only a small number had any kind of experience in SAR, so management must have been a challenge. On the other hand, what an outpouring of support!