Abstract
M.Cur.
Background: As people seek the relief from urban living and daily life, adventure is commonly sought through recreational activities in wilderness areas. Periodically, visitors to these areas become ill, injured or lost. In such cases, Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) teams or agencies are responsible to locate access, treat, extricate and transport victims to safety. In South Africa, rescue practices in general remain largely unregulated, non-standardised and are poorly described. Before this study there was a dearth of literature and little scientific evidence describing the status and characteristics of WSAR practices in the country. This absence of literature was seen as problematic, for no professional discipline or specialised field can grow and develop without such foundational knowledge. The aim of this study therefore was to document, describe and compare the current status and characteristics of WSAR practices in each of the nine provinces of South Africa.
Methods: A prospective, quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was applied making use of a purposefully designed, pre-piloted data-gathering tool in the form of a template. The template facilitated and guided the capturing of valuable data from key informants and published literature relating to South African WSAR agencies and their current practices. The design of the template was informed by archival research looking into published documentation and literature focusing on the phases and activities associated with a WSAR incident. Critical analysis of data from the populated template allowed the researcher to describe in detail, local WSAR agencies and to contextualise their practices against published international literature.
Results: Forty-five agencies were identified across the country that were seen to potentially play a role in rendering WSAR services. Of these, 35 of the 45 (78%) agreed to participated in the study. The study showed significant disparity between the identified agencies, their capabilities and...