 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|||||
|
|
|
Home > About Us > Corporate Citizenship > | |||||||
| Human Tracking: A Behind the Scenes Look January 2008
Whenever a search and rescue effort for a missing person in the Washington, DC, metro area is launched, MITRE's Randall Burleson knows he may be called. Burleson, an analyst in our Center for Acquisition and Systems Analysis, is a volunteer human tracker with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM). Burleson has been volunteering in search and rescue operations since 2000 and began his work as human tracker, also known as a "sign cutter," in 2003. "I was working on a rescue effort and was assigned to a human tracker to provide communication and navigation assistance. It was a great experience and I knew I wanted to learn more." Shortly thereafter, Burleson began his human tracker training from a VDEM's Search and Rescue Tracking Institute. Since then Burleson has also become certified with a private organization, the Joel Hardin Professional Tracking Services. He maintains his certification from both organizations and now teaches courses in human tracking at VDEM. Over the last four years, Burleson has been involved in many different types of search-and-rescue operations. Typical searches include looking for missing children and Alzheimer's patients. "It is rare for a search-and-rescue operation to go on for more than 48 hours," he explains. "The longest search I've participated in was five days—but that was the exception, not the rule." The searches vary in size and scope with anywhere from 400 people involved down to as small as a four-person team. Regardless of the size of the effort, each person volunteering has a specific job to do. The human trackers maintain a low profile and work behind the scenes looking for clues. "The job of the human trackers is two-fold," Burleson says. "First, we establish the direction of travel. Once you have a starting point, you have to assume the missing person can go in any direction at a speed of roughly two miles per hour. This gives you the basis for a search circle. Then you look for tracks and establish the direction of travel—this narrows the search to a specific cone-like portion on the original circle. The second major contribution we make is it to determine if the person was ever actually there. We validate the assumption that the missing person was at the original search point." On occasion Burleson works on a search with fellow MITRE staffer Lisa Harper. (See "Related Information" link below.) "Lisa is a search-and-rescue volunteer with VDEM's canine unit. She and her dog cover more territory at a faster pace. The dog is searching by scent while I am looking for signs on the ground. We often work together—we're not competing resources but rather complementary ones." Tools of the Trade There a few key pieces of equipment Burleson uses as a sign cutter. "The most important tool I use is the tracking stick, an instrument built specifically for tracking purposes," he says. "It's 36-inches long and calibrated to an inch and has moveable rings on it. The back and front rings are used to match and measure the length of a track compression. You also use the stick to measure step length—the distance between one step and the next. "I also carry a small notebook and pencil so that I can draw a sketch of the track I'm following. In addition, I have a tape measure, a small flashlight, and flagging tape to mark the tracks we find." Tracking is a skill that he practices almost daily in his everyday life. He spends hundreds of hours each year participating in search-and-rescue efforts and is now teaching tracking basics to his nine-year-old son. "Kids are often interested in tracking," he says. "They actually do very well because when they are told they can see a sign somewhere, they believe that they can. They don't have any preconceived notions about what they are going to find." "I enjoy my search and rescue work," Burleson says, "and I appreciate the work-life balance that MITRE offers. I have four kids ranging from six months to 13 years old. So between my family and my volunteer commitments, the work-life balance MITRE offers can't be beat. Last year and this year, the company approved my application to use civic time for a portion of my search-and-rescue work. MITRE is the only company I know that offers that type of support to their employees' volunteer efforts." Related Information Page last updated: January 9, 2008 | Top of page |
Solutions That Make a Difference.® |
|
|
