Norfolk is Britain's fifth largest county and has some of lowland Britain's most varied terrain. We are often called on to search the Broads, Fens, Norfolk Wash, and dense-wooded areas such as Thetford Forest. It is not uncommon for the team to be deployed at night and callouts can occur during adverse weather condition. These situations make progress hazardous for team members on the ground. It is always NORLSAR's first priority to ensure the safety of its own members.
Very often adverse conditions are the point at which the team's small army of Land Rovers are called upon. The roles these vehicles take vary, from moving team members and equipment around search areas to playing host as search or communication control vehicles. Our Land Rovers all double up as 'search vehicles' consequently they are often used when searching large areas often at night. The use of any vehicle is both the decision and responsibility of the owner.
At present we do not offer any formal training to our team of four-wheel drives. Some of the members however off-road at weekends and very often there are opportunities to go along and pick up driving skill from such events.
Land Rover's have been earning their keep with NorLSAR since the very beginning. All of the vehicles we use are owned by members and used as everyday cars. Some have received extra off-road equipment, due to the nature of their owners' hobbies or occupation, others remain as they left the factory.
NORLSAR are lucky to also have a number of other local 4x4 emergency response teams to give support to our own Land Rovers. This allows us to concentrate on searching, which is our primary purpose. 4x4 emergency response teams commonly have drivers, who are more experienced in off road driving than our selves. Consequently, they are faster completing task and safer than we are both are important when time is of the essence. Experience has shown that 4x4s are of great benefit, when we are called on during the hours of darkness, However it is important to understand the rules of search and rescue means there are no rules. NORLSAR are keen to try new thing with new methods and techniques.
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