Search squad "Lisa Alert": why is it called that?

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

"A 12-year-old boy disappeared…", "A girl left home and did not return, blue eyes, brown hair…", "A man went missing…". Such announcements about the loss of people are full of pages of printed publications and Internet resources. Who is looking for lost people? The police, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and volunteers, such as representatives of the Lisa Alert organization. Why is it called the search squad and what does it do? This will be discussed below.

Who is looking for missing people?

The statistics are harsh and inexorable, and they show that a person disappears every half an hour in Russia. Police departments receive up to 200,000 applications each year from relatives looking for their missing loved ones. The vast majority of these appeals are processed promptly, and people are located and returned to their families. Police officers, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and more recently, volunteers of the Liza Alert search squad are involved in the search. The life of the missing people depends on the coherence of the work of each member of the team and the efficiency of actions. Caring people form the backbone of the Liza Alert search squad. Why is it called that?

Liza is a girl who did not have time to help

The history of the detachment began in 2010. This summer, the boy Sasha and his mother disappeared. Volunteers came out to search, and the child was found alive and well. And in September, a girl, Liza Fomkina, from Orekhovo-Zuevo, went missing with her aunt and got lost. In the case of Liza, the search was not started immediately, precious time was lost. Volunteers joined the search only on the fifth day after the disappearance of the child. 300 people were looking for her, who sincerely worried about the fate of a little unfamiliar girl. She was found 10 days after she went missing. Unfortunately, help came too late. A 5-year-old girl survived in the forest without food and water for nine days, but did not wait for her rescuers.

Volunteers who participated in the search on September 24, 2010 were shocked to the core by what happened. On the same day, they organized a volunteer search squad "Lisa Alert". Why it is called so, every participant in this movement knows.

Alert means search

The name of the little heroic girl Lisa has become a symbol of human participation and complicity. The word "alert" in English means "search".

In the United States, since the mid-90s, the Amber Alert system has been operating, thanks to which data about each missing child gets on the scoreboard in public places, on the radio, in newspapers, and appears in the open spacesthe Internet. In our country, unfortunately, there is no such system yet. Employees of the Liza Alert search squad are trying on their own to introduce, if not an analogue of such a system in Russia, then at least make information about someone else's misfortune available. Indeed, in the case when people disappear, and especially children, every minute counts.

Who are the members of the search party?

Why the squad is called "Lisa Alert", you now know. Let's talk about its composition.

The detachment from Moscow, the first in this truly all-Russian movement, is the largest and most active. To date, divisions with a different number of participants have been formed in forty regions of the country.

There is no single control center here, each department operates independently. But there is a constant connection between them, which is carried out as a result of the training of new employees, the exchange of experience and information. The organization does not have current accounts, all activities are carried out on a voluntary basis. Volunteers are provided with the necessary equipment, means of communication and transport during the search work. During long searches, the participants of the rescue operation are provided with food.

Search engines don't charge money for their services. Those who want to help can sign up for a detachment, provide assistance with technical means or other feasible support. And each member knows why the group is called "Liza Alert", and is afraid of not being able to catch those who are in trouble.

How is the search going?

Representatives of the detachment seek to inform people about what to do if a person is missing. The fate of the lost people depends on the clear and timely actions of the relatives who applied. According to statistics, when applying on the first day, 98% of the lost are found, on the second day - 85%, when applying on the third day, the percentage of a happy outcome decreases to 60%. And later, the chances of finding a missing person alive, especially a child, are practically nil.

In the case of Liza Fomkina, active searches began only on the fifth day, which led to a tragedy that shocked the volunteers. That's why the search party is called "Lisa Alert" - it's not only a tribute, but also an eternal reminder that someone is waiting for help at the moment.

Interaction with government agencies

Representatives of the search engines over the years of the detachment's existence have established contact with the police and the Ministry of Emergency Situations. After all, the main task of finding missing people lies with the authorities. But what can one district inspector do if a person is lost in the forest? One in the field is not a warrior, given the scale of the search.

The Lisa Alert Search Team comes to the rescue. Volunteers create mobile search groups, draw up an action plan, collect information about the missing person, where and when he was last seen. Every little thing can be the key to a happy ending.

Where does the search begin?

In the search engineThe detachment has a hotline. A single number valid throughout the country. For those who have lost their loved ones, but hope to find them, sometimes he becomes the only link to salvation. The operator takes the call, but the volunteers don't act without a missing person's report being filed with the police. It is not uncommon for hooligans to call and tell the tragic story of a missing person. If there is a statement to the police, representatives of the search squad enter the case, deploying organized and well-coordinated activities, not forgetting for a minute why “Lisa Alert” is called that way.

Operation Search

Each member of the detachment has its place and its role in the operation. At the main headquarters, they operate remotely, collecting information bit by bit, distributing it in the media, on the Internet, posting ads, and compiling a map of the search area.

The operational headquarters is deployed directly on the spot. In it, the coordinator determines the search and rescue plan, a detailed map of the area is drawn up with the definition of search squares for each member of the group. Here, the radio operator provides communication with each participant, so that in case of detection, the rest of the participants in the search can come to the rescue immediately. During long searches, the support team arranges for the supply of food, water and other necessary materials so that the search continues without stopping.

Teams of volunteers trained to navigate rough terrain work directly in the search area. Rookies alwaysput next to experienced search engines. If necessary, helicopters of the aviation group will take to the skies to provide aerial reconnaissance. If the search area is far away, then the groups can be delivered by all-terrain vehicles. As part of the search engines there are cynologists with dogs who help to find lost people. If the tragedy occurred near a reservoir, divers from the Ministry of Emergency Situations inspect the water area. All these forces are involved, depending on the complexity of the search, in order to have time to come to the rescue and not repeat the situation that happened many years ago, and remind yourself why “Lisa Alert” is called that.

Who can become a squad member?

The ranks of the Liza Alert search squad are open to everyone. Everyone can provide all possible assistance. Students, retirees, accountants, housewives, athletes or freelancers can all become members of a volunteer squad. Anyone who has reached the age of majority can become a volunteer. Those who are still in school can help spread and search for information on the Internet, but do not participate in active searches.

Why the Lisa Alert search squad is called that, we have already explained to you. Volunteers are taught first aid techniques, taught how to work with navigators, a compass, a radio station, and the basics of cartography. So that each volunteer can provide the necessary assistance to the victim and notify other members of the team about the discovery.

Search engines keep up with the times

The Liza Alert search team has its own hotline number, the same throughout Russia. In everyphone must be memorized these cherished numbers. After all, in the case when a person is lost, there is not a minute to lose. The operator will instruct the applicant about the algorithm of actions.

Also on the official website of "Liza Alert" you can find a search form, by filling in which, everyone who applied can be sure that this information will be seen in different parts of the country.

Now Liza Alert has also got a mobile application. Anyone can download it to a smartphone. It's more of an app to notify volunteers that a person is missing in a particular region. It helps to quickly assemble rapid response teams.

Forewarned is forearmed

Members of the group are active preventive measures aimed at reducing the number of disappearances. Simple rules sometimes help save someone's life. Also, the staff of the Lisa Alert detachment (why they called it that, many think) developed clear algorithms for how to act during search operations in the forest, on a reservoir, in the city and in other conditions.

Despite all efforts, in Russia from 15 to 30 thousand children go missing every year. Every tenth of them - forever. That's why "Lisa Alert" is called that, and the victory of these people is someone's life saved!