Mission Statement
Our mission is to provide and promote Search & Rescue and Recovery Canines, and Handlers, as a local resource in NSW to law enforcement, emergency management agencies, and the community in the event of an emergency.
Our goal is to provide Search Dog teams and Search Technicians trained for effective and efficient search deployment in support of NSW Police for Search & Rescue and Recovery operations, 24 hours, 365 days, which include, but not limited to, the following areas:
- Missing person searches: both wilderness and urban settings
- Locating live casualty(s) after a man-made or natural disaster
Our primary objectives are to:
- Develop and train a professional team of canine handlers;
- Develop search dog teams who meet and exceed local, national and international certification standards;
- Develop and present training programs in canine search and rescue, and lost person behaviour;
- Train all handers and field personnel to be proficient searchers for both wilderness and urban settings.
Search Dogs Sydney Inc. are a dedicated and highly skilled specialist capability that offer Certified and Accredited teams of Canines and Handlers in all disciplines of Canine Search, Rescue and Recovery operations.
We support all members wishing to train in USAR, Area search, Trailing, Water search and HRD. All members are encouraged to develop their own individually tailored training programmes in conjunction with our highly experienced Training Co-ordinator, to achieve excellence in their desired field.
Search Dogs Sydney Inc. then facilitate and co-ordinate this program to ensure Best Practice Guidelines and International standards in assessment are achieved. All Search Dogs Sydney Inc. assessment’s are overshadowed by the Australian Search Dog Federation to ensure that our teams are certified to the highest possible standard.
Together with our canines, our Handlers also receive training in Remote area searching, advance map and navigation skills, protecting and preserving evidence/crime scenes as well as Lost Persons Behaviour. Our team comprehensively gather all available information, including the current weather, to develop search strategies to ascertain the greatest POD (probability of detection). Ideally, the earlier we receive the call to assist on a search, the higher the POD increases for a successful outcome. All our canines are deployed with 3 personnel. A handler, communications specialist and navigator/safety officer as well as a Commander to ensure the safety of all teams in the field.
Search Dogs Sydney have 4 certified Lost Persons Behaviour Instructors. Contact us today to arrange for certification of you or your team.
We have a sister unit in Jefferson County, Kentucky, where we exchange training ideas and search strategies. You can visit their website by clicking on the banner below.
