IAMSAR

INTERNATIONAL AERONAUTICAL AND MARITIME SEARCH AND RESCUE MANUAL

There are 4 sections and 7 appendices –

Section 1 – Overview
Section 2 – Rendering assistance
Section 3 - On-scene co-ordination
Section 4 – On-board emergencies
Appendix A - Regs V/33 of SOLAS,1974,
as amended
Appendix B - Search action message
Appendix C - Factors affecting observer effectiveness
Appendix D - SITREP
Appendix E - SAR briefing and debriefing
Appendix F - Own emergency
Appendix G - Rendering assistance

Joint efforts of ICAO and IMO

Total 3 Volumes
Volume 1 – The Organization and Management Volume
Volume 2 – The Mission Co-ordination Volume
Volume 3 – The Mobile Facilities Volume
A new edition is published every three years,. The 2019 edition published and includes the 2010 amendments. It has adopted
2016 amendments The compiled amendments in 2019 edition of IAMSAR has been implemented in June 2019.

Section 1 –

PURPOSE :
All Mobile facilities to carry Volume 3 on board civil aircraft and vessels is to provide guidance to those who :
a) Operate aircraft, vessels or other craft, and who may be called upon to use the facility to support SAR operations
b) May need to perform on-scene coordinator functions for multiple facilities
c) Experience actual or potential emergencies, and may require search and rescue (SAR) assistance

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Responsibilities and obligations to assist
i) Annex 12 to the convention on International Civil Aviation
ii)International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue
iii) Regulation V/33 of the International Convention for the SOLAS 1974

Vessels not assisting

a) Make an appropriate entry in the ship’s log book
b) If the master had previously acknowledged and responded to the alert ,report the decision not to proceed to the SAR service
concerned.
c) Consider reports unnecessary if no contact has been made with the SAR service
d) Reconsider the decision not to proceed nor report to the SAR service when vessel in distress is far from land or in area where
density of shipping is low.

SAR Co-ordination
The SAR system has three general levels of co-ordination :
1. OCs – On-Scene Co-ordinators
2. SMCs – SAR mission Co-ordinator (RCC)
3. SCs – SAR co-ordinators (National Level)

Underwater search and Rescue

• If there is a reason to believe that there is underwater accident occurred, the nearest RCC should be contacted.
• Generally underwater rescue operation is specialized and competent medical advice is required
• ICAO regional RANPs depict aeronautical SRRs
• IMO Global SAR Plan depicts maritime SRRs

Section 2
1. Initial action by assisting craft
(a) Vessels assisting
(b) Vessels not assisting
(c) Aircraft assisting
(d) Rescue by maritime facilities
(e) Rescue by land facilities
(f) Care of survivors
(g) Handling of deceased persons
(h) Contact with media

Other assistance
(i) Intercept and escort service
(ii) Aircraft intercept
(iii) Aircraft ditching
3. Search Function
4. Rescue Function
(a) Rescue action plan and message
(b) Helicopter operations
5.Helicopter Operations

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6. Training :
(i) Search and Rescue personnel
(ii) Air search and rescue facilities
(iii) Maritime search and rescue facilities
(iv) Land search and rescue facilities
(v) Para rescue and paramedical personnel
(vi) Depot personnel
(vii) Master and officers of merchant ships

Section 3
1. Co-ordination of search and rescue operations
2. Communications
3. Planning and conducting the search
4. Conclusion of search
Search Patterns –
(a) Expanding square search (SS) – when search object is known relatively
(b) Sector search – when search object is accurately known
(c) Track line search – used when aircraft or vessel has disappeared without a trace
(d) Parallel Track search – to search a large area when survivor location is uncertain
(e) Contour search – used around mountain and valleys
(f) Co-ordinated vessel-aircraft search – OSC is actively directing the aircraft

Section 4
1. Distress alert notification
2. Methods of alert
3. Medical assistance to vessel
4. MEDICO
5. Medical evacuation(MEDEVAC)
6. Man overboard
7. Ship emergencies at sea
8. Aircraft emergencies

Appendices
1. Appendix A – Distress situations : obligations and procedure
2. Appendix B – Sample search action message
3. Appendix C – Factors affecting observer effectiveness
4. Appendix D – SITREP
5. Appendix E – SAR briefing and debriefing form
6. Appendix F - Own emergencies , action cards
7. Appendix G – MEDEVAC by helicopter , action card.

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