Typical Rescue A call comes into the Sheriff's department and the superintendent on duty contacts Dan Holgate, or, if he's not available, Doug Slaven or Scott Mackey. Dan then initiates the phone tree by calling Doug and Scott. He can then begin preparations while each person called calls the next ones on the phone tree. Depending on the season, weather, and other variables, Dan tries to do a containment around the area if he has enough people for the terrain by putting them on all roads, drainage and natural exits. He does a profile of the subject.
Children tend to run, often in circles, while adults seem to want to go down.
These facts help the team determine the areas to concentrate on. If they know the subject can respond to sound, a sound sweep is done if it is withiin the right tiime frame which is usually within 24 hours. If the search goes over 24 hours, a command post and incident command structure is set up. Scott Thompson has a mobile command post which he brings along with a dispatcher. The team pools its resources and does a probability of area or POA, which is a type of survey giving everyone input on the area to be searched.