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26 bxtnomisisurutribune arounixthe region tlmrsdaynov92000 iw jfrt ivij y0rkregi0nalp0licepract1se theart ofrllreskse c yitf iv by kathleen griffin staff writer york regional policeoffi cers were milling about a vivian sideroad forest friday v determined hot to get idsl and the 37- men and women who participated in the forced second search arid rescue tramirigprdgram this year succeeded most arriv- j ing at or fairly closetb apre- determiried end point we train so officers can familiarize themselves with 4he woods- explained dei- norn miles head of the markham stations cor community v oriented response unit they learn to see broken branches or troddendqwn leavesto read moss on trees of moss disturbances to see if someone has been througbf the area each officer was given a compass a topographical map and a tally- cord oh which they tied a khotevery- 100 metres walked they were instructed to follow compass bearings for example walk 340 metres at 358 degrees to get from point a to b- where the fic tional missing person- was then escort them to a place of safety at point c s most paths follow the contour line on thetqpo- graphicalmaps because thats what most people jdo- they follow the path of least resistance miles said its practice in locating different areas and again having officers become familiar in theforest if officers were forced off their path by an obstacle such asa body of water they learned how to get back on track moving away at a 90- degreeangle and counting cstvsteve thompson treks through the under- growth the exercise helps police find people who are lost the number of paces so once around they simply counted paces back to their original line- during the second exer cise of the day childsized cpr dummies were placed throughout the 30acre train- irig ground and officers instructed to find diem a is evidence like a shoe or a jacket for officers to- find clues for themtb-fbl- low said miles they will follow the con tour lines in most- cases because how people walk- most dont realize how easy it is to get lost in the woodspeople often walk in circles without realizing it the trees can all look the- same- potential victims include hikers and hunters but a- greater concern are the- elderly alzheimers patients arid children this training is impor- tant because when its my lit- tie one or your little one lost out there we cant pull the stops out fast enough said const tom korte who found the experience worthwhile when someone doesnt want to be found thats one thing but when someone very or an alzheimers patient is out there through no fault of their own thats when you have to move in fast in a real case the actual search would take place after- v officers filled out the lost per son questionnaire this determines the urgency of the situation and offers tips in locating particu lar groups like young chil- dren a child between one and three is likely still around their ownhome but if nptit can bedarigerous they 1 may be unaware of being lost and they have no navigation al skills miles explained ahalzkeirhers patient or s someone having an especial- ly bad daymay not want to be found he added they may hot call out even if wete very close we need to have a way to scien- tifically search an area instead of just driving around or walking around looking with no training arid as miles points out york regionis home to large areas of forests and wooded areas even though most are fairly isolated x i no ones ever prepared to get lpstihthe woods more people die of hypothermia in the spring and fall than the winter for the same reason theyre not prepared it might be a nice day you discard clothing as you go then freeze at night no one thinks to bring matches either because no one staff photosjoerd witteveen top sgt nornmiles goes over a contoured map of an area near vivan sideroad and highway 48 in whitchurch- stouffville where yorkregional police held a training exercise bottom not all of the exercise was in the deep woods here const steve thompson hikes along a forest trail armed with a compass topographical map and a tally rope which expects it will happen to theytied a knot in every 1000 metresa total of 37 men and women took part and nibst arrived at or close to a predeter- thorr mined end point them