One situation that sometimes vexes SAR teams is when non-trained "spontaneous volunteers" show up and want to help. These are often friends and family of the subject.
I can see the problems of allowing poorly equipped and untrained people to participate. But I can see even bigger problems (for the SAR team) if they tried to physically stop the family members of a lost child from searching. If the child were later found dead, say from exposure from being out too long, I can easily see that SAR team being sued out of existence. I would probably sue them myself if it were my kid.
A tough call for SAR. But I think it would be best to try to channel the family's participation into the most fruitful and safest activities, but barring that guidance being accepted, I'd think it very unwise to restrain them from participating. Extreme cases are different. I can't imagine a fireman allowing a family member to run into a burning house to save someone. They're probably reasonably safe from liability in preventing that kind of "family participation".
Yes, that can be a real issue. Volunteer SAR teams are very unlikely to try to physically prevent people from attempting a search or rescue on their own. As a practical matter, volunteer teams would not have any legal authority to do that. Law Enforcement might have that kind of authority, but in most situations it is unrealistic to think they could stop people. Too many ways into the area and nowhere near enough officers to patrol it. Besides, SAR is a secondary mission for most LE agencies.
What is done is try to educate people, pointing out the need for proper gear, skills appropriate for the terrain, etc. In some cases I have seen, SAR teams will try to select those with more or less appropriate gear and clothing and team them up with experienced SAR team members. Then give those teams the less demanding assignments. For those who clearly weren't ready to go into the back country, we've tried to find some task for them to help with around base camp. People usually cooperate fairly well if handled this way. They just want to feel like they are helping in some way.
In some cases, all those spontaneous volunteers can be a genuine asset. I recall one major avalanche body recovery mission for a popular local man. It was a really big slide, and the subject was not wearing a beacon, so it turned into a big multi day probing exercise. Because it was in a fairly remote area, the only practical way in was by helicopter. The authorities spread the word that friends and family could help, but only if they showed up with adequate clothing and food, beacon, probe, and shovel. They were given a quick instruction in helicopter safety, then teamed up with experienced SAR members, and flown in. On site they were organized into probe line teams, and put to work. It took a couple of days, but the victim was eventually found.
Every case is different, and as Teslinhiker's example shows, sometimes unusual things have to be done. The overriding objective should always be to bring the subject home if at all possible but without getting anyone else hurt.
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