When must a SAR case be documented?

• A. Cases must be documented when a SRU is launched or after 30 minutes of effort are expended
• B. Cases must be documented only after a successful rescue
• C. Cases must be documented at the end of the operation day
• D. Cases must be documented before any action is taken

Answer: (A)

In a SAR operation, you want the case record to start as soon as action begins and resources are engaged. The rule is to document a SAR case when a SRU is launched or after about 30 minutes of search effort have been expended. This captures the moment that responders commit to the mission and the ongoing timeline, even if no rescue has occurred yet. Opening the case only after a rescue would miss critical early actions, and waiting until the end of the day would drop important events from the record. Likewise, documenting before any action is taken would create an unnecessary, premature entry.