Dealing With The Media

Usually the Incident Commander or the Liason will be appointed with dealing with the media. Occasionally, searchers will come in contact with a reporter searching for information. Information and, more importantly, speculation about the subject and the search must be restricted from the media and the public.

Your search and rescue team should be taught to:

• Refer the reporter (or anyone else) to the Incident Commander or liason or the law enforcement agency involved with this search and rescue operation.


• Be polite to the media. Don't ignore them. They have the right to access any public site, but should be discouraged from entering the field.


• Politely suggest that a better story can be obtained at the Command Post.

What your team can share with the media are:

• His/her name


• Their position within the search and rescue team (but not in this search)


• Any knowledge about the search that is already public information.


• The location of the Command Post.

Our goal here is to allow our search and rescue team to concentrate on searching and make sure that the information given to the media is in the best interests of the missing subject.