This system is still full of holes. A real life case comes to mind even though it did not require any assistance. Couple of years ago we planned to go to Jumbo got to the Holdsworth road end saw in the book that a party of 17 was already going that way so changed to Powell and filled in the book as such. Plans had changed due to things we couldnt control and a good tramp was had by all. If something happened we could be found.
Now the same scenario but using the new online intentions system. One of 2 things happens. Most likely we carry on to Jumbo and the hut built for 17 takes them plus the 7 of us. Not good but certainly cosy. Less likely we run into the other party and a discussion sees one group (under circumstances probably us) go the other way. Now if something happens where will they look?
Ok the club always carries a beacon and are well set up to handle alerts but other groups are not that lucky.
The online system has it's place and I am sure will be refined as time goes on to better serve the need.
There may need to be an overlap for the older genrations to carry on with forms gradually making way for the eletronic system. I have heard about the online system but personally have not used it, I still leave a handwritten trip plan at home. I would not like to see hut books taken away, they are sometimes the only form of communication of change of plan. Parties should be flexible and able to accomodate changes in weather, overcrowding and staying put extra nights etc.
More generally Graeme Kates' comments make me think it could be useful if (where possible) the various online systems (whether it's AdventureSmart's let-me-help-you-compose-an-email or RoughPlan's much more managed system) maintain a cache of people's intentions to be made easily available for SAR in the case of something happening. As Graeme pointed out, just being able to quickly see who was in a region when something else happened, or who's been through a particular road recently, is valuable information. In many parts of the country where DoC has only provided minor or no paper form stuff anyway, having people take more advantage of online systems where they previously only spoke directly to their contacts, could open up more possibilities for search organisations.
Aside from possible privacy issues, it'd need to be done in such a way that ensured people understood they weren't leaving intentions with SAR, and that they still require a trusted contact to trigger an action if they don't return.
kate says that most walkers make their mind up on the day where they will go. theres not much time for them to log intentions. if the local doc office is closed , no intentions anymore....
given they are so spontaneous in making up their mind, how many really think about leaving intentions....
Thats are where clubs are good Our trips are preplaned we have sar contacts and a chief guide to oversee everything. Problem solved.
Or is it. In my example above there is no cellphone at holdsworth so the plan change was not communicated to anyone.Chief guide only knew after we got home. This means that the only valid advise was in the intentions book. That reminds me I better send him an email advising todays day trip is out safe and sound.
i think the hut log books are still there. its the road end books that were removed...
true but what happens if you dont make the hut.
How much is doc saving by deleting these books? A few thousand a year maybe. I wonder if dol will treat them the same as the average landowner if something goes wrong (think berrymans)
Spontaneous plans are a bit risky, and if there's a chance of plans changing I think it's important to make sure your contact knows as much as possible about what you're considering in advance, and the sorts of conditions that might cause you to do something. Sometimes it's all context, though.
Kates said a lot of things and he's worth listening to. But my point earlier was that when people do log intentions that aren't spontaneous using something like AdventureSmart, it'd be helpful for them to be easily available at a central location for immediate reference by SAR officials even if for nothing else than to build an initial witness list without having to fly around and try to gather crumbs of evidence about who's been where. If I knew SAR was passively collecting my intentions, I'd be happy to leave a copy and it might actually be useful in some circumstances.
that requires a database to be built and they arent cheap, they need administering theres are big ongoing costs involved
someone commented here i think that doc spend a significant amount of time searching intentions records and more often than not it's for someone who has already left the bush and hasnt updated people of there whereabouts. someone up top drew the line at the resource allocaton, i understand more doc jobs are due to go, this time field staff, sounds like theya re totally stretched to carry out their curent work and just couldnt spare all the time it took to check intentions records, they are strapped for cash and looking for other ways to get more money commercially to fund the less commercial functions of the business such as pest control and saving endangered wildlife
can't remember where it was that i read some conservator coming out and saying it was time to triage endangered wildlife. put your money whre you knew you could save a species and other species that would take a lot of money to save and were on the brink of extinction should just be left to become extinct.... who knows it may come to that with doc, takes a lot of money to save endangered wildlife and if they are slow breading and are always going to need a lot of protection from predators, it's a bottomless pit you're throwing a dwinding amount of money at....
and keeping track of trampers in teh outback may also fall into that category... we're in teh age of locator beacons, if your'e going to a remote area or off the main tracks you should rally take one, you can rent them and offset the cost if you're a group or buy one as a group... we've been fortunate doc have been providing the service they ahve up till now but no one is giving them the money they need for the resources it takes to monitor who is where in the bush
hopefully the price of locator beacons will come down, there are alternatives like spot devices that report your location but they require a subscription so there is an ongoing cost.... with time that may become cheaper too
"that requires a database to be built and they arent cheap, they need administering theres are big ongoing costs involved"
It wouldn't need anything more complex to start than having AdventureSmart BCC every email it sends to a SAR mailbox, or to spin off a text file and have a nice person running the server to make a copy of that data available to LandSAR authorities on request. Ditto for RoughPlan and similar websites. (Obvious privacy issues and possible confusion issues if people start thinking of SAR as a trusted contact, but those can be surmounted.) There's no need to check *anything* in this data, except when a SAR coordinator wants a list of who's been in an area during a particular time.
It's separate from the problem DoC's complaining about, which is being obliged to constantly chase up people who were using DoC as their trusted contact and never bothered to tell DoC they'd left safely.
