Area (Live Find) Canine Search Specialist

AERIE Area (Live) Canine Search Specialist Certification Examination (Area CSS CE)

is designed to identify the minimum knowledge, skills and abilities needed by canine team during land search operations in varied terrain at night and during daylight hours. These certifications recognize the need for further training to acquire the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to become a fully competent canine handler in a wide variety of land search operations.

There are two separate Area Canine Search Specialist CEs

•  Area Canine Search Specialist – Level 2 CE is designed to identify the minimum knowledge, skills and abilities needed by an individual and their canine partner to perform as a SAR Canine Team during land search operations for a single subject during night operations and is a prerequisite for higher level AERIE canine search specialist examinations.
• Area Canine Search Specialist – Level 1 CE is designed to identify the minimum knowledge, skills and abilities needed by an individual and their canine partner to perform as a SAR Canine Team during land search operations for multiple victims in varied light and terrain.

Required Skills for both levels (see the full set of requirements and prerequisites)

• Canine
  • Searches independently, detects and indicates live human scent with a trained final response
• Handler
  • Correctly identifies indications of live human scent and canine’s final response behavior
  • Maintains control of canine
    • The final response behavior must be a behavior which is easily identifiable by a general observer. If performed at the subject, an active final response must be used (focused bark alert). If performed as part of a find/re-find, the behavior must take place within view of the handler and easily identifiable by a general observer (sit, down, bringsel or other clearly defined/describable trained behavior)
• Team
  • No false alerts

All of these examinations meet or exceeds the criteria of the industry standard and FEMA 508-8 Typed Resource Definitions – Search and Rescue Resources 11/14/2005

Area Canine Search Specialist – Level 2

• The candidate and dog will be able to locate a single subject during nighttime hours.
• The candidate and dog will be evaluated using an 80 acre (~32 hectare) area.
• The candidate and dog will be evaluated using a maximum time of two (2) hours.

Area Canine Search Specialist – Level 1

Prerequisites:  AERIE Canine Ground Search Specialist Certification or other approved (Level II) Ground Search Certification
(If completed within one year of achieving the AERIE Area CSS – Level II the candidate does NOT have to repeat the night examination.)

• The candidate and dog will be able to search during daylight hours and be required to locate up to two subjects, the subjects may be mobile.
• The candidate and dog will be evaluated using a 140-180 acre (~57 – 73 hectare) area or using components that combined equal 140-180 acres (~57 – 73 hectare)
  • Use of full acreage or components will be at the discretion of the Examiners.
  • Components may include:
    • Hasty trail search — a trail approximately one (1) mile (1.6km) in length indicative of a typical hiking/nature trail found in that area. The team shall be limited to one pass down the trail and back.

      AND/OR

    • Smaller segmented areas of not less than 60 acres or 24 hectares (total 140 – 180 acres or ~57 – 73 hectare).  There may be zero (0) to two subjects in an area, not to exceed a total of two subjects.
• The candidate and dog will be evaluated using a maximum time of four (4) hours for all components.