SAR Tech III EXAM STUDY GUIDE
2026/2027 COMPLETE QUESTIONS AND
VERIFIED CORRECT SOLUTIONS ||
ALREADY GRADED A+
<RECENT VERSION>
1. Lost Person Behavior (LPB) data provides search planners with general
indications of the following with the exception of - ANSWER How quickly
they will be located by trained searchers
2. Clues and evidence should be - ANSWER reported and processed following
AHJ SOGs and properly documented and secured in a food grade plastic
storage bag
3. Smelling smoke from a campfire when looking for a pair of missing hikers
or finding a small toy during a search for a child are what type of clues? -
ANSWER Physical
4. Who is responsible for establishing a "safety first" mindset during search
operations? - ANSWER The Safety Officer
5. The National SAR Committee (NSARC) is responsible for coordinating and
improving federal involvment in civil search and rescue. Its member
agencies include the following agences: - ANSWER The National
Aeronautics and Space Administration
The Department of Defence
The Department of Interior
Federal Communications Commission
The Department of Commerce
6. The LPQ, maps, statistical data, weather reports, theoretical and search data
are considered - ANSWER Planning Data
,7. Search planners use the subject behavioral profile for a number of reasons: -
ANSWER Determining search strategy
defining the search area
estimating resource needs
mapping the search area
briefing search teams
8. A Search Urgency Form - ANSWER justifies the initial actions such as
performing additional investigation or calling out search resources
9. What are the two types of searches (categorized by length? - ANSWER
Hasty and Extended
10.WHO is searched for? - ANSWER The lost, overdue, endangered, suicidal,
aircraft
11.What are the four states a subject may be in? - ANSWER Mobile and
responsive, mobile and unresponsive, immobile and responsive, and
immobile and unresponsive
12.What are the nine techniques that subjects may use to try to orient
themselves? - ANSWER Random traveling, route traveling, direction
traveling, route sampling, direction sampling, view enhancing, back
tracking, folk wisdom, and staying put
13.What are the two types of searches (categorized by geography covered)? -
ANSWER Route/location and area
14.What are four types of ground searchers? - ANSWER Sign cutters/human
trackers, hasty teams, grid teams, and untrained volunteers
15.What are the three ways to temporarily categorize resources in ICS? -
ANSWER Single resource, strike team, task force
16.What is the PLS? - ANSWER Place Last Seen
17.What is the LPQ? - ANSWER Lost Person Questionnaire
18.What is the LPK? - ANSWER Last Known Position
,19.What is the IPP? - ANSWER Initial Planning Point
20.What is LPB? - ANSWER Lost Person Behavior
21.What are three methods of physical confinement? - ANSWER Trail blocks,
road patterns, and track traps
22.What are examples of virtual confinement? - ANSWER Leaving voicemails,
texts, emails, notes on car/residence, checking with transportation
companies, and checking with hospitals or jails
23.What items are included in the Search Urgency Rating Chart? - ANSWER
Age, medical condition, number of subjects, subject experience profile,
weather profile, equipment profile, and terrain/hazards profile
24.What are four forms that clues may come in? - ANSWER Physical,
electronic, witness reports, or investigative
25.What is the IAP? - ANSWER Incident Action Plan
26.What is an AAR? - ANSWER After Action Review
27.What are the important aspects of the AAR? - ANSWER What worked well,
what didn't work well, and what should be done next time
28.What is a search? - ANSWER Effort to locate someone in distress
29.What is a rescue? - ANSWER To retrieve persons in distress, provide for
their immediate medical or other needs, and deliver them to a place of safety
30.What is NSARC? - ANSWER National Search and Rescue Committee
31.What does IAMSAR stand for? - ANSWER International Aeronautical and
Maritime Search and Rescue
32.What does LAST stand for? - ANSWER Locate, Access, Stabilize,
Transport
33.What is the definition of preplanning? - ANSWER Tbd
, 34.Define: notification - ANSWER Tbd
35.Define: planning/strategy - ANSWER Tbd
36.Define: tactics/operation - ANSWER Tbf
37.Define: suspension - ANSWER Tbd
38.What are the responsibilities of the USAF? - ANSWER Tbd
39.What are the responsibilities of the US Coast Guard? - ANSWER Tbd
40.What are the responsibilities of the Federal Aviation Administration? -
ANSWER Tbd
41.What are the responsibilities of the Civil Air Patrol? - ANSWER Tbd
42.What are the responsibilities of state SAR officials? - ANSWER Tbd
43.What are the six expected qualities of a SAR responder? - ANSWER Tbd
44.What are five parts of the compass? - ANSWER Tbd
45.What are the five major activities of ICS? - ANSWER Tbd
46.What are three types of maps used in SAR? - ANSWER Nautical,
topographical, and p___
47.What are contour lines? - ANSWER Tbd
48.What is the definition of "search"? - ANSWER An operation using available
resources to locate persons in distress.
49.What is the definition of "rescue"? - ANSWER An operation using available
resources to retrieve persons in distress, to provide for their initial medical
considerations and transport to a safe environment.
50.List the components of SAR. - ANSWER Preplanning
Notification
Planning/Strategy
2026/2027 COMPLETE QUESTIONS AND
VERIFIED CORRECT SOLUTIONS ||
ALREADY GRADED A+
<RECENT VERSION>
1. Lost Person Behavior (LPB) data provides search planners with general
indications of the following with the exception of - ANSWER How quickly
they will be located by trained searchers
2. Clues and evidence should be - ANSWER reported and processed following
AHJ SOGs and properly documented and secured in a food grade plastic
storage bag
3. Smelling smoke from a campfire when looking for a pair of missing hikers
or finding a small toy during a search for a child are what type of clues? -
ANSWER Physical
4. Who is responsible for establishing a "safety first" mindset during search
operations? - ANSWER The Safety Officer
5. The National SAR Committee (NSARC) is responsible for coordinating and
improving federal involvment in civil search and rescue. Its member
agencies include the following agences: - ANSWER The National
Aeronautics and Space Administration
The Department of Defence
The Department of Interior
Federal Communications Commission
The Department of Commerce
6. The LPQ, maps, statistical data, weather reports, theoretical and search data
are considered - ANSWER Planning Data
,7. Search planners use the subject behavioral profile for a number of reasons: -
ANSWER Determining search strategy
defining the search area
estimating resource needs
mapping the search area
briefing search teams
8. A Search Urgency Form - ANSWER justifies the initial actions such as
performing additional investigation or calling out search resources
9. What are the two types of searches (categorized by length? - ANSWER
Hasty and Extended
10.WHO is searched for? - ANSWER The lost, overdue, endangered, suicidal,
aircraft
11.What are the four states a subject may be in? - ANSWER Mobile and
responsive, mobile and unresponsive, immobile and responsive, and
immobile and unresponsive
12.What are the nine techniques that subjects may use to try to orient
themselves? - ANSWER Random traveling, route traveling, direction
traveling, route sampling, direction sampling, view enhancing, back
tracking, folk wisdom, and staying put
13.What are the two types of searches (categorized by geography covered)? -
ANSWER Route/location and area
14.What are four types of ground searchers? - ANSWER Sign cutters/human
trackers, hasty teams, grid teams, and untrained volunteers
15.What are the three ways to temporarily categorize resources in ICS? -
ANSWER Single resource, strike team, task force
16.What is the PLS? - ANSWER Place Last Seen
17.What is the LPQ? - ANSWER Lost Person Questionnaire
18.What is the LPK? - ANSWER Last Known Position
,19.What is the IPP? - ANSWER Initial Planning Point
20.What is LPB? - ANSWER Lost Person Behavior
21.What are three methods of physical confinement? - ANSWER Trail blocks,
road patterns, and track traps
22.What are examples of virtual confinement? - ANSWER Leaving voicemails,
texts, emails, notes on car/residence, checking with transportation
companies, and checking with hospitals or jails
23.What items are included in the Search Urgency Rating Chart? - ANSWER
Age, medical condition, number of subjects, subject experience profile,
weather profile, equipment profile, and terrain/hazards profile
24.What are four forms that clues may come in? - ANSWER Physical,
electronic, witness reports, or investigative
25.What is the IAP? - ANSWER Incident Action Plan
26.What is an AAR? - ANSWER After Action Review
27.What are the important aspects of the AAR? - ANSWER What worked well,
what didn't work well, and what should be done next time
28.What is a search? - ANSWER Effort to locate someone in distress
29.What is a rescue? - ANSWER To retrieve persons in distress, provide for
their immediate medical or other needs, and deliver them to a place of safety
30.What is NSARC? - ANSWER National Search and Rescue Committee
31.What does IAMSAR stand for? - ANSWER International Aeronautical and
Maritime Search and Rescue
32.What does LAST stand for? - ANSWER Locate, Access, Stabilize,
Transport
33.What is the definition of preplanning? - ANSWER Tbd
, 34.Define: notification - ANSWER Tbd
35.Define: planning/strategy - ANSWER Tbd
36.Define: tactics/operation - ANSWER Tbf
37.Define: suspension - ANSWER Tbd
38.What are the responsibilities of the USAF? - ANSWER Tbd
39.What are the responsibilities of the US Coast Guard? - ANSWER Tbd
40.What are the responsibilities of the Federal Aviation Administration? -
ANSWER Tbd
41.What are the responsibilities of the Civil Air Patrol? - ANSWER Tbd
42.What are the responsibilities of state SAR officials? - ANSWER Tbd
43.What are the six expected qualities of a SAR responder? - ANSWER Tbd
44.What are five parts of the compass? - ANSWER Tbd
45.What are the five major activities of ICS? - ANSWER Tbd
46.What are three types of maps used in SAR? - ANSWER Nautical,
topographical, and p___
47.What are contour lines? - ANSWER Tbd
48.What is the definition of "search"? - ANSWER An operation using available
resources to locate persons in distress.
49.What is the definition of "rescue"? - ANSWER An operation using available
resources to retrieve persons in distress, to provide for their initial medical
considerations and transport to a safe environment.
50.List the components of SAR. - ANSWER Preplanning
Notification
Planning/Strategy
