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Show crew participates under the supervision of an expert rescue worker. If we are dealing with a trained replacement crew, the latter are relieved only after the mission leader has obtained a clear picture of the. entire situation ( surrender of the avalanche). Start of the mission. It should be stated fundamentally that the start of the mission depends on the length and difficulty of the approach march, on the weather, and on the prevailing avalanche situation. 1. If the approach is difficult and the rescue workers and the dogs are tired, a rest must definitely be taken before the start of the mission, so that everybody is equal to his task. If the approach trail was short and not difficult ( cable car, lift, air rescue), the rescue workers and the dogs do not require a rest. In this case, the equipment should be made ready immediately upon arrival and the mission can begin at once. 2. If relatively tolerable mission weather prevails, the preliminary construction of a bivouac and the lighting of a camp fire may be dispensed with; and the mission, may begin at once. ( If storm and cold weather prevails, bivouac construction and warmth are necessary to prevent frostbite before the rescue mission begins.) 3. The search crew always has to make the following decision: Rough search ( immediate, hasty search), or Precise search ( intensive search according to plan) a) Rough search: This is always handled by the first search crew while one can still count on live rescues and where time is of the essence. In this case, the primary search areas are quickly determined and are searched at once. If possible, the first search is carried out with dogs. The search crew connect the probes only to half or three- quarter length, form a very loose line and search the urgent search areas in this formation, hoping for good luck. Thorough planning does not precede this rough search, since this search is of relatively short duration. b) Precise search: If the rough search is not successful, or if days have passed since the - 56 - |