Joint Rescue Coordination Centers
Encyclopedia
The National Search and Rescue Plan or National SAR Plan is a policy document of the Federal government of the United States
that establishes the responsibilities for search and rescue
within the United States
.
The National SAR Plan designates the United States Coast Guard
(USCG) as the federal agency responsible for maritime SAR operations and the United States Air Force
(USAF) as the federal agency responsible for inland SAR. Both agencies maintain rescue coordination centers (RCCs) to coordinate this effort, and have responsibility for both military and civilian search and rescue. Both agencies also cooperatively operate joint rescue coordination centers (JRCCs) where appropriate.
RCCs and JRCCs receive Cospas-Sarsat
distress alerts sent by the United States Mission Control Center (USMCC) in Suitland, Maryland and are responsible for coordinating the rescue response to the distress. Each service takes a slightly different approach to SAR operations.
(AFRCC) at Tyndall Air Force Base
, Florida
, coordinates all inland SAR activities in the continental U.S., but does not directly prosecute SAR cases. In most situations, the actual search and rescue
is carried out by the Civil Air Patrol
, state police or local rescue services.
For Alaskan inland areas, the Air National Guard
operates the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center (AKRCC) at Elmendorf AFB, Anchorage. Alaskan SAR is carried out by Air National Guard units, the Alaska State Troopers and local borough search and rescue organizations. Effective Oct 1, the Alaska RCC has been credited with saving 1,668 lives during 4,444 missions and assiststing 701 others to safety.
The U.S. Coast Guard utilizes the Search and Rescue Optimal Planning System (SAROPS) to most accurately model leeway
divergence for many search and rescue objects as well as optimize planned search areas.
Coast Guard RCCs are set up to cover specific geographic areas and act as command and coordination centers. The geographic areas of responsibility are divided among nine Coast Guard District commands and two Rescue Sub-Centers (RSC).
USCG RCCs
’s U.S. Southern Command runs an active Search and Rescue Center out of Key West, FL that helps to coordinate a significant amount of COSPAS-SARSAT activity in Central & South America.
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
that establishes the responsibilities for search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
within the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The National SAR Plan designates the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
(USCG) as the federal agency responsible for maritime SAR operations and the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
(USAF) as the federal agency responsible for inland SAR. Both agencies maintain rescue coordination centers (RCCs) to coordinate this effort, and have responsibility for both military and civilian search and rescue. Both agencies also cooperatively operate joint rescue coordination centers (JRCCs) where appropriate.
RCCs and JRCCs receive Cospas-Sarsat
Cospas-Sarsat
Cospas-Sarsat is an international satellite-based search and rescue distress alert detection and information distribution system, established by Canada, France, the United States, and the former Soviet Union in 1979. It is best known as the system that detects and locates emergency beacons...
distress alerts sent by the United States Mission Control Center (USMCC) in Suitland, Maryland and are responsible for coordinating the rescue response to the distress. Each service takes a slightly different approach to SAR operations.
Inland SAR
The Air Force Rescue Coordination CenterAir Force Rescue Coordination Center
As the United States' inland search and rescue coordinator, the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center serves as the single agency responsible for coordinating on-land federal SAR activities in the United States, including Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.Some of the AFRCC's more notable...
(AFRCC) at Tyndall Air Force Base
Tyndall Air Force Base
Tyndall Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located east of Panama City, Florida. The base was named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lt Frank Benjamin Tyndall...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, coordinates all inland SAR activities in the continental U.S., but does not directly prosecute SAR cases. In most situations, the actual search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
is carried out by the Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force . CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and...
, state police or local rescue services.
For Alaskan inland areas, the Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
operates the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center (AKRCC) at Elmendorf AFB, Anchorage. Alaskan SAR is carried out by Air National Guard units, the Alaska State Troopers and local borough search and rescue organizations. Effective Oct 1, the Alaska RCC has been credited with saving 1,668 lives during 4,444 missions and assiststing 701 others to safety.
Maritime SAR
The U.S. Coast Guard not only coordinates, but usually conducts maritime SAR missions.The U.S. Coast Guard utilizes the Search and Rescue Optimal Planning System (SAROPS) to most accurately model leeway
Leeway
Leeway is the motion of an object that is floating in the water to leeward due to the component of the wind vector perpendicular to the object’s. The National Search and Rescue Supplement to the International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue Manual defines leeway as "the movement of a...
divergence for many search and rescue objects as well as optimize planned search areas.
Coast Guard RCCs are set up to cover specific geographic areas and act as command and coordination centers. The geographic areas of responsibility are divided among nine Coast Guard District commands and two Rescue Sub-Centers (RSC).
USCG RCCs
- DISTRICT 1 - Boston, Massachusetts
- ATLANTIC AREA/DISTRICT 5 - Portsmouth, VirginiaPortsmouth, VirginiaPortsmouth is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the city had a total population of 95,535.The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard, is a historic and active U.S...
(RCC NORFOLK) - DISTRICT 7 - Miami, FloridaMiami, FloridaMiami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
- DISTRICT 8 - New Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
- DISTRICT 9 - Cleveland, OhioCleveland, OhioCleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
- PACIFIC AREA/DISTRICT 11- Alameda, CaliforniaAlameda, CaliforniaAlameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a...
- DISTRICT 13- Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, WashingtonSeattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
- DISTRICT 14- Honolulu, HawaiiHonolulu, HawaiiHonolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
- DISTRICT 17- Juneau, AlaskaJuneau, AlaskaThe City and Borough of Juneau is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of the then-District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900...
- PUERTO RICO RSC - San Juan, Puerto RicoSan Juan, Puerto RicoSan Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
- MARIANAS RSC - GuamGuamGuam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
Other
The Department of DefenseUnited States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
’s U.S. Southern Command runs an active Search and Rescue Center out of Key West, FL that helps to coordinate a significant amount of COSPAS-SARSAT activity in Central & South America.