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Definitions Used in the NATSAR Report
Incident Types
The new field IncidentType answers the question, ``What kind of response was this?''
We use it here to select only Missing Person cases for analysis. We
defined the following incident types, in accordance with the .
- Missing Person: our target case: people missing on land, usual notification
- Water: anything that started AND ends in water. Ex:
canoeing w/o lifejacket, drowned
- Rescue: we know where they are, we go help. Ex: injured
climbers
- Recovery: we know where they are, they're dead, we go
get. Ex: climber who fell
- ELT/EPIRB: incident started by an
ELT or EPIRB signal. The base does not know if it is a MP or Rescue, etc.
- Criminal: usually abduction
- PLB: incident started by a Personal Locator Beacon
(PLB) signal. As with ELT/EPIRB, but because PLB is new, some
databases may track them separately to measure increased usage.
- Training: a planned training event.
- Disaster: natural or anthropogenic disaster, mass
casualty, etc.
- Evidence: SAR units called to find physical evidence
for investigation, criminal prosecution or similar. Often looking
for small fragments.
The Australian database has no PLB, Training, Disaster, or Evidence cases.
PLB cases are normally handled by AusSAR, not the police SAR units.
The other three were screened out before data entry.
Scenario
The new field Scenario asks, ``given all else, what do we think
happened?'' It is a retrospective assessment. It expands and replaces
our earlier Lost/NotLost field, which was inadequate for
distinguishing ``genuine'' cases from false alarms. Values are:
- Criminal: person missing
against their will. Example: abduction/murder.
- Despondent: actively Suicidal. Trumps
`Evading' and most other things. Many, but not all those with
TradCateg of `Despondent' get this scenario. Some are depressed,
but just out for a walk and get lost. But any with `suicidal' or
`suicide' in some field were put in this scenario.
- Evading: deliberately missing, hiding
from at least some searchers, and not suicidal (else
Despondent). Lots of psychotics here, some children, plus those
decamping the scene of an auto accident to avoid DUI/DWI
charges. Many of those with Hiding=Yes get this scenario.
- Investigative: false alarms, often called ``bastard
searches.'' MP is often unaware of the search, and happy
elsewhere. Often MP failed to notify, there was a
miscommunication, etc. Also includes cases where the MP boarded
public transportation (hence, leaving the search area), or was
found in a hospital, jail, shelter, etc. Solved by investigative
techniques. Example: husband drives off to Ballarat for the
night, or aunt forgets that father was picking child up today.
- Lost: just plain lost -- disorientation is main or
major reason they're missing. Dementia patients are here because we
presume they were at some stage confused.
- Medical: the reason they're missing is a heart
attack or such.
- Overdue: never lost, doing OK, just taking
longer than expected. May or may not need assistance. Example:
experienced backpackers meet a swollen river and wait the night
for it to diminish. Also, most bogged vehicles go here.
They may have a long walk back, but they know where they are.
Usually they are either waiting or walking back along road.
- Trauma: missing because of injury or major mishap
like a broken leg. Does not include becoming bogged!
Where possible, subjects are placed into categories based upon the
following hierarchy: If they have a mental disorder such as autism,
Alzheimer's (dementia), Mentally retarded, psychotic, or despondent
they will be classified as such. If they don't have any of the above
and are a child they will be classified by age. Finally, if done of
the above apply they will be classified by their activity (hiker,
hunter, etc.) However, there is no doubt a bit of sloshing between
categories for two reasons. First, initial classification was done by
responders, and we only reclassified when it was clear. Second, is a
12-year-old backpacker a child or a hiker? For this reason we record
Activity separately.
The category ``Autistic'' denotes those diagnosed with autism,
Asperger's syndrome, or possibly related traits. These cases are
usually children, but ``Autistic'' is the more salient category.
Children who are known to be autistic are classified as ``Autistic.''
The category ``Child'' covers most children, usually taken to be 12
years old or younger. However, medical categories like ``Autistic''
and ``Mentally Retarded'' usually trump ``Child.''
The category ``Dementia'' - which used to be called ``Alzheimer's
(DAT)'' - denotes those with Alzheimer's disease and Dementia of
the Alzheimer's Type. It is common to refer to the broad group as
``Alzheimer's'', but Alzheimer's can only be diagnosed by
autopsy (so far). We chose ``Dementia'' because it is short, simple
and general, and complies with terminology used in ISRID.
The category ``Despondent'' covers depressed subjects and includes
those known to be suicidal, but not exclusively those. People being
treated for depression sometimes get lost even when not trying to kill
themselves.
The traditional category ``Hiker'' includes all those on some kind of
directed walk. In Australia, the proper term would be ``Bushwalker''.
``Hiker'' includes those whose Activity is either dayhiking or
backpacking.
``Hunter'' denotes anyone hunting any kind of game. However, for cases
described as ``collecting roos from the roadside'' we replaced it with
``Motorist''. Typically hunters travel off-track, and are prone to
different sorts of mishaps, so are worth considering separately. We
have very few Hunters in the dataset.
``Mentally Retarded'' covers patients with many disorders that slow
mental development, resulting in a ``mental age'' notably below the
subject's physical age. One of the better-known of these disorders is
Down's syndrome, but that is only one of many. Note that we do
not currently measure the level of retardation (for
example by recording ``mental age''). Were we to do so, no doubt we
could refine the profile. Note: a 30-year-old with a ``mental age'' of 10 nevertheless
has 20 years' extra life experience.
``Motorist'' includes anyone who was in a motor vehicle when they
became lost, stranded, injured, etc. Many of these are ``Vehicle''
cases (such as the elderly gentleman who kept driving past his
destination, until he ran out of fuel), which get screened out.
However, if the vehicle serves as the LKP for subjects travelling on
foot (or waiting), these are legitimate cases for our purposes. Such
MPs typically are not lost, but also typically are not expecting to be
travelling on foot. ``Motorist'' includes Activities ``4WD,''
``Motorbike,'' and ``Car.''
Unsurprisingly, the category ``Other'' covers everything not listed in
any other category, such as birdwatchers, berry-pickers, station hands
returning to their stations, or geologists out prospecting. Their
profile should not be considered that of a particular class of people,
but rather a best prediction in a state of ignorance given that the
subject is definitely not one of the known categories.
``Psychotic'' includes patients who have clinical psychosis and also
those with temporary psychosis such as that induced by drugs or
alcohol, particularly when the psychosis is considered to be a major
factor in the incident.
Most of these are self-explanatory. Some, like Wandering and Runaway
are hard to tease apart. We did not set criteria in advance, so we
report here how we came to divide the reported data, especially the
many cases which did not fit our initial category divisions.
- 4WDriving: Out in a 4WD vehicle on 4WD tracks.
- Alpine Skiing: Downhill skiing. Includes snowboarding.
- Backpacking: Bushwalking with a pack, intending to stay
overnight and prepared for it.
- Canoeing etc.: Canoeing, Rafting, Kayaking, etc. We did
not have enough to split them up.
- Climbing: Climbing or abseiling (rappelling): ascending
or descending cliffs, usually with technical gear.
- Cycling: Travelling by bicycle, with no or little motor
assist. Includes street and mountain bikes.
- Dayhiking: Bushwalking intending short duration. Not
carrying overnight gear.
- Driving: Driving a car, not intending other activity,
not a dedicated 4WD trip. Lots of stranded/bogged scenarios,
including (perhaps wrongly?) the 6 people collecting roos by the
roadside. The idea is people who were expecting to just be out for a
regular drive, and had a mishap.
- Fishing: Any sort. The trip's intent is to catch fish.
- Hunting: Any sort. Excludes collecting roadkill, etc.
- Motorbiking: Motorcycle, Quad bike, ATV. Not quite a
car, usually not on paved roads.
- Nordic Skiing: Cross-country skiing.
- Other: Borderline cases, unknown or unclear activities,
or unusual or diverse things like: chasing camels, visiting friends,
at casino, some psychotic episodes, cutting or gathering wood, at a
rave, beach, birdwatching, hangliding, paragliding, crossing river,
rogaining, firefighting, prospecting, ....
- Runaway: Typically children, but includes any
deliberate attempt to escape, in people 65 years or less.
Runaways over 65 reclassified as Wandering. This category
overlaps with Wandering.
- Suicide: Known or strongly suspected suicide
attempt. Suicide ``trumps'': other activities (like Hiking, or
4WDriving) become secondary to the suicide attempt.
- Walking: MP was out for a regular walk. Includes
children walking home from school, people walking their dogs,
etc. Could be reclassified as Wandering or such, but these
just didn't seem quite right there.
- Wandering: Any aimless wandering (children on up),
disorientation, or confusion. Most Dementia searches, even if the
MP seemed to know what was going on, and any escape behavior in
those over 65, even if it otherwise would be Runaway.
GENERAL NOTE: this category is flawed. The values are not
exclusive: `stream' is also `valley', `track' is often on a
`ridge', etc. Respondents were given a list of possibilities, but
no formal definitions.
- Building: Pre-made structure, from a
hut or shed to a hospital. Including one houseboat.
- Road: Usually paved, but may include some 4WD tracks.
- Track: Usually walking track or trail, but also 4WD
track and desert track.
- Water: In or next to water. Includes stream, river,
lake, riverbank, dam. Consolidates many entries like ``near dam''.
- Drainage: Stream, river, ditch, culvert. Anything
that at least occasionally drains water away. Not consolidated to
``Water'' because these are often dry, and we can't tell from the
data entry.
- Valley: User chose Valley over Drainage. Presumably
therefore more likely to be dry, or broad.
- Ridge: Including peaks, etc. May also be Track, but
user chose Ridge as the best fit.
- Flat: Includes park, beach, similar.
- Cliff: Added because several cases mentioned `cliff'
in their text. Found on or at the base (or edge) of a cliff.
- Other: User entered ``Other'' and any additional info
did not enable us to choose a category, or make a new one. Including: steep
sloping ground, dunes, CBD, Bush, National Park.
Responders checked one of ``Uphill'', ``Downhill'', or ``Neither''.
We do not have distances, and the interpretation of ``Neither'' was up
to the responder.
There is a rough, but imperfect mapping between categories in the UK
report and our categories. The following table may help for
comparison.
| UK 2004 |
|
|
|---|
| Category |
Category |
Notes |
|---|
| Child (1 to 6 year) |
Child |
|
| Child (7 to 12 year) |
|
|
| Despondent |
Despondent |
|
| Climber |
|
|
| Fellrunner |
|
Some of these will show up in our |
| Mountain Biker |
Not used |
``activities'' field. |
| Skier |
|
|
| Youth (13 to 16 yr.) |
Not used |
Might be child, if no other. |
| |
Dementia |
We split ``Vulnerable'' into 3 classes |
| Vulnerable |
Mentally Retarded |
to cope with the very different mental |
| |
Psychotic |
processes of the groups. |
| Hiker/Walker |
Hiker |
We allow under 17, in theory. |
| Miscellaneous |
Other |
But Other also has Skiers etc. |
| Organised Party |
Group |
We don't require |
| |
|
``recognised leader or purpose''. |
| Not used |
Autistic |
In UK, probably Child or Vulnerable. |
| Not used |
Hunter |
|
We use the same categories for subject condition as the UK report, and so
we have used the UK labels throughout the report. Here is how they describe
the terms:
| Fatality |
dead when found |
| Injured |
required significant medical treatment when found |
| Unhurt |
not Injured |
| No Trace |
not located, outcome not known |
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