Effects of Exertion and Distractions on Search Efficiency in Riverine Search and Rescue (SAR)

This work sought to examine the impact of physical exercise, and mental exertion prior to launch on lifeboat search effectiveness. Four three-person volunteer crews from the United Kingdom’s Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), were exposed to combinations of physical and mental exertion tasks before launch and performance measured during riverine scenario-based search and rescue training. Two unchallenged groups (control) were deployed for comparison. Half the deployed crews were subjected to a distraction exercise completed during the search to simulate real-world conditions to place demands upon the attention of the crew (such as passing radio traffic, navigating or planning search tactics). Heart rate, GPS tracking and search success were monitored, with success defined as the location and transmission of an identifying code of each placed target. Heart rate monitoring showed clear association between measured psychological stress and the physical challenges presented to the crews and demonstrated that the exertion and distracting elements of the experiment had a measurable effect on the participants, where lower heart rates corresponded to greater success in searching. Overall, results showed that exercise and mental activity generally improved perceptual performance of the crew in the pre-scenario-based training, whilst the distracting element (alone and in combination with exertion) diminished performance during the scenario-based training. Increases in alertness and search performance have significant implications for those involved in search and rescue. This study contributes to an increasing body of cross-disciplinary work exploring team performance in high-pressure situations.