Search teams can sometimes be assigned by the Search Manager to search areas that involve heavy or thick bushland. It is these types of areas that can involve a different approach by search teams. Heavy bushland has a lot of vegetation which makes it difficult to get through and it also limits how far members of the search team can see.

It is the heavy vegetation that adds problems for the search team and therefore requires a few changes in the approach to searching.

Physically demanding

The thickness of the heavy vegetation is what makes it difficult for search teams to get through the area. Teams must push hard to get through the vegetation which causes exhaustion to come on a lot quicker. Not only is it physically demanding but in some areas the thickness of the vegetation can trap heat causing team members to overheat quickly.

To combat these problems, teams need to take additional rest breaks, and drink water more frequently to stay hydrated.

It is not just the pushing through the vegetation that can be exhausting but continually trying to release entanglements as you try to get through. Feet and arms may need to be pulled out of entanglements, and backpacks becoming entangled is very common.

Navigation

The denseness of the vegetation limits visibility so you may not be able to see any prominent features to help with navigation. This requires the team to rely more on the directions of their GPS devices. But as a back-up, should their GPS fail, the team should have a map and compass. If using a map and compass, checking the compass bearing needs to happen more frequently because of the limited visibility from all the vegetation. This may also require counting of paces to figure out distances as you may not have any prominent features to help figure out your location. Travelling in a straight line might not be possible and requires search teams to zigzag around objects to make their way through. Trying to find your way around objects in order to take the path of least resistance can throw off your navigation because you are not travelling in a straight line and it is this zigzag motion that means navigators will need to continually focus on their direction and make adjustments in their bearings and distance counting.

Search Technique

The continual adjustments of the team’s navigation and the denseness of the bushland will result in search teams moving slower to complete their search taskings. This denseness will also mean that the distance between each team member, or what is known as ‘critical separation’, will need to be of a shorter distance so that a high probability of detecting the missing person is maintained.

The search team will need to communicate more frequently to maintain the search formation because the denseness will make it more difficult to keep an eye on all team members, and as already mentioned team members might get entangled trying to get through the vegetation, which will require the rest of the team to wait until the team member has freed them self or may even require other team members to help.

Communication to the command post is also helpful. This will allow the search manager to understand why your team will need more time to complete the search area that has been tasked. It will also allow the search manager to make considerations such as whether more searchers should be sent to that area, and should more water and other resources be sent to the team.

Personal Protective Equipment

As the team pushes their way through the thick vegetation, their arms and faces endure a lot of scratches and lacerations. Wearing full length clothing is essential in preventing these minor injuries. Gloves also need to be worn to protect the hands as well. Covering the exposed body parts will help prevent these scratches and lacerations from occurring but the problem is this can sometimes cause overheating when operating in warm temperatures.

Wearing a helmet is something that can be considered to protect the head from low branches, but another idea is to wear a brimmed hat, like a bonnie hat. This will protect the head from scratches, but the brim will also keep the branches away from the face.

Eye protection is another form of protective equipment that should be utilised. The idea of the brimmed hat can work, but when pushing through the thick vegetation, branches can scratch your face from all directions. Scratches to the skin is one thing, but scratches to the eyes can cause a lot of problems.

Searching through heavy or thick bushland is not always seen as a probable area to search in the early stages of a search operation, but the management of a search operation may lead to a decision being made that requires a search team to be tasked to searching through heavy bushland. Understanding and preparation prior to going into this type of search area can help achieve the completion of such search tasking without problems or injuries to members of the search team occurring.