Search and rescue mission teaming lessons from the 13 trapped inside a Thai cave

Abstract

This study draws on the events from the successful rescue of the 13 young men trapped inside a cave for providing emergency management a practical guideline in teaming. The work addressed the lessons learned for teaming in a search and rescue mission to function effectively and efficiently, being creative and innovative to challenges, dealing with constraints, reducing the wastage of time, managing accidents and mistakes, and coping with death. A case study was undertaken to examine the daily events of the search and rescue mission by following the articles written in online news sites. The mission becomes successful when the teams coordinate together as one cohesive unit. Teams have to re-examine their practical mode of operation for the sake of safety and well-being during the performance of searching and rescuing. Emergency management is promoting a 'learning from doing' environment by allowing teams to reflect on the procedures.