New Zealand Land Search and Rescue, New Zealand

Thanks to the custom solutions designed by Tait engineers, LandSAR is able to communicate with a wide group of cooperating organizations during search operations. The challenges created by remote terrain, long shifts, and inter-agency cooperation are mitigated by transportable chargers, repeaters, and integration with SAR Track.

Tait and LandSAR New Zealand have an ongoing strong partnership which provides many benefits, including ready access to highly experienced engineers. Tait products are designed to be highly flexible, to meet the needs of individual clients. This relationship helps ensure the safety of volunteers while they search for the lost, missing and injured.

The suitability of the Tait rapidly deployable solution was proven yet again through the LandSAR response to the Christchurch Earthquake known as 'Operation West'. LandSAR provided a crucial reconnaissance and reassurance service to the public as well as situational awareness to the Emergency Management team.

LandSAR CEO, Harry Maher, says (2014), "Our volunteers are highly skilled and often tackle some of the country's toughest terrain in extreme conditions. Our Tait radios result in more efficient and effective communication between the search teams and the Incident Control Point. Messages can be relayed more quickly and there's less chance of messages not getting through and this can improve the chances of finding the lost, injured or missing. Good radio communications are the backbone of any search operation and we need the radio equipment to be of the best quality.

"Additionally the safety of our volunteers when they're out in the field is a top priority for LandSAR. Having good radio communications is an integral part of our safety management system and the support of Tait Communications greatly assists us to keep our volunteers safe," Mr Maher concludes.

Mr Maher says Tait radios are recognized around the world by emergency services as being among the best and having them as standard issue for LandSAR is a major step up for the organization.

"Ultimately, this partnership will benefit all New Zealanders because our ability to communicate across difficult terrain will be better, we'll be able to narrow our search area and locate the lost, missing and injured more swiftly," Mr Maher says.