Leaving nothing to chance with search and rescue missions

Outdoor recreation and adventure-filled experiences are popular activities in New Zealand. With that in mind, it is common for people to land themselves in challenging situations requiring help from Search and Rescue (SAR) teams to help find missing people in dangerous situations and rescue them.  Against this backdrop, it is also no surprise that Search and Rescue was ranked #2 in the annual Public Sector Reputation Index survey by New Zealanders[1], reflecting the high level of trust and confidence the public has in their search and rescue system; a system run by over 11,000 people where 89% are volunteers.

The New Zealand Search and Rescue (NZSAR) Council actively backs the annual Search and Rescue Exercises (SAREX) that bring together multiple public safety organisations to meticulously plan, practice, and evaluate their rescue operations. These exercises provide an invaluable opportunity for inter-agency collaboration and skill development. Motorola Solutions has supported these exercises by providing hardware, software, and expertise to seamlessly integrate communication capabilities across various networks, ensuring effective communication in challenging scenarios. This allows teams to communicate effectively from LMR to LTE networks set up to support these search and rescue training exercises.

"We aim to ensure participants have reliable, ubiquitous, and seamless communications. Every SAREX is an essential pillar to ensuring SAR personnel receive ongoing development and improvement of skills and knowledge to get the job done well and safely. There can be no compromise to how teams operate and support one another in the field, including no loss in connectivity or miscommunications." Max Corboy, Search and Rescue Coordinator from Surf Life Saving New Zealand.

"In a recent SAREX, the scenario involved a cruise ship carrying 250 individuals that had sunk off Lake Te Anau in Fiordland, New Zealand. It was imperative to swiftly coordinate assistance in this remote location to safely evacuate or provide medical attention to those affected, underscoring the vital importance of the"mission's success."

The teams successfully established effective communication with personnel at the base despite the remote location of those in the field. They adeptly streamlined communications across different networks used by various agencies in unfamiliar, hard-to-reach environments. Effective communication assets proved to be crucial in such scenarios. Witnessing the efficient and seamless communication throughout the event was inspiring and personally fulfilling, showcasing our ability to excel in challenging "ng" ng environments.

"It has been a great opportunity for us at Motorola Solutions to collaborate with our partners in building the essential communications network and services required by the SAREX teams to support their operations involving multiple public safety agencies. Coming together to leverage the knowledge and expertise needed in the field, we have planned how to integrate the technology and systems necessary to support such a large-scale, extensive event every year. Logan Caulfield, the APAC Director of Expansion Technologies at Motorola Solutions, has been instrumental in this" endeavour."

"With each exercise, we aim to enhance the tools available to field personnel and the control centre by providing them with the latest and most innovative critical communication solutions, such as the MOTOTRBO R7 and MOTOTRBO Ion. This includes integrating these devices with automated activation of body-worn camera VB400 in duress situations for mobile video and delivering these feeds automatically into the control room using our software for better situational awareness. This will enable more decisive and accurate assessments of unfolding circumstances, comprehensive planning, and effective coordination of rescue efforts."

Motorola Solutions and its" collaborative partners consistently share valuable insights derived from each SAREX experience, exemplifying their cohesive and unwavering dedication to "Solving for Safer" within their" respective communities. This is accomplished through the adept integration of traditional LMR and LTE technologies via the TRBONET software, resulting in the seamless provision of communication and coordination capabilities across diverse agencies. Consequently, this facilitates thorough preparedness and the effective mitigation of potential crises or natural disasters.

See the SAREX NZ Search and Rescue case study video in action here.

[1] Source: 2024 New Zealand Public Sector Reputation Index by research agency Verian)