“Mostly Positive” Lessons Learned In Child Search

    At last week’s Marshall County Local Emergency Planning Committee meeting, various agencies reflected back on the recent search for a lost child in Britton. Well over 100 emergency personnel and civilians helped in the search for the child who was eventually found safe on the night of April 4. The discussion in the meeting revolved around successes and areas for improvement regarding the search. 
    Emergency Management Director Logan Roehr walked those in attendance through an after-action report following the events of the night. He emphasized that, looking back, there were far more positives than negatives. He was pleased that North Marshall Fire Department personnel jumped into action in the immediate aftermath, getting a “systematic” search started right away and that there was a timely dispatch of all emergency departments. 
    The report also noted further resources were effectively and quickly requested when local resources were exhausted. The South Dakota Office of Emergency Management provided resources as well. 
    Roehr and Sheriff Sam Swanson both noted that they were pleased by the help from the public, though Roehr noted that that side of things could have been more organized. He explained that Emergency Management has software available to them that would have allowed volunteers to quickly check in and give their phone number. This would have allowed for more organization, accountability, and the sharing of information such as maps with those searching. Roehr’s report also added that the Fire Hall’s phone number should have been shared more widely to use a general contact line. 
    One concern from the public was that there was never an “all clear” alert sent out after the child had been found. Roehr noted that this was a purposeful decision that follows how emergency personnel are trained to use alert systems. 
    “The guidance says that we should not send alerts if there is NOT an active or dangerous situation anymore,” the EM Director explained. “We’re taught that people are prone to get ‘alert fatigue’ if they receive too many messages and then will just ignore them.” Roehr acknowledged though that that does not mean an ‘all clear’ alert cannot be issued. He added that they will evaluate that on a case-by-case basis in the future. 
    There was also a discussion about the possibility of using sniffer dogs. Roehr noted that he was not aware of any dogs in the immediate area that would have been helpful. Sheriff Sam Swanson said this is something that he will be checking on. 
    Swanson summed up the night. “The number of positives that night outweigh the negatives. I think things went very well for an out of the blue moment.”
    All agencies present at the meeting agreed with that sentiment and hope to participate in more trainings in the future that would help with similar situations.