Who maintains contact with Commercial Salvage/SAR providers?

• A. Operational Units
• B. Comms Unit
• C. CC Hierarchy
• D. Inland SAR

Answer: (A)

Coordinating with external salvage and SAR providers is handled by the operational units. They’re the people on scene or in direct command of the response, responsible for assessing what outside specialized help is needed, defining the scope of work, and arranging for contractors or services to be brought in. They also manage safety, timelines, and the integration of those external resources into the incident plan.

The Communications Unit focuses on messaging, both internal and with external stakeholders, rather than directly initiating or managing vendor contracts. The command center hierarchy provides oversight and authority, but day-to-day liaison with private salvage or SAR firms is not its primary role. Inland SAR describes the type of operations but isn’t the entity responsible for maintaining those external contacts.

So, the operational units are the ones who maintain contact with Commercial Salvage/SAR providers.