For the Families

Losing a loved one or friend is an intensely difficult and unexpected experience. Dealing with Search and Rescue operations is equally as hard and when a Search and Rescue becomes a Search and Recovery—the intensity increases significantly. No one can expect to be prepared for this sort of situation, but help may be found through the support of family members, friends, and those professionally trained to manage this type of grief.

VIASAR maintains a strict policy, which prohibits staff and volunteers from contacting or speaking directly with the families and friends of victims. The VIASAR staff is neither prepared, nor trained to assist those who are in need of aid for the complex emotions associated with loss of a loved one.

It is our sincere wish to offer assistance in ways that we are prepared and trained for. All support offered by VIASAR is managed through our affiliate Search and Rescue organizations and we rely on them to share information with those closest to the victim(s). The information we initially release to our partners in treated as confidential. Once released, the information is beyond our span of control and it is up to the affiliate organizations to decide how much and in what form information will be released further.

VIASAR is not beyond reach, however. If you are interested in contacting us to learn more about our operation, how we conduct business, or to offer a donation, please visit our “contacts” page to find out how. Please be aware that our policies preclude us from discussing details of any Search and Rescue or Recovery effort—as mentioned above, we rely upon our affiliates to release details as they deem appropriate.

For the Press

Reports of missing persons and Search and Rescues (SAR) mission are frequently found in today’s news. These cases often become high profile and generate interest from press agencies rapidly. Reporting is generally detailed and up to the minute, often at the expense of victim’s family and friends.

Analysis of high-resolution imagery for SAR missions frequently yields important and detailed results and, therefore; may be of great interest to the press. While this is understandable, VIASAR maintains a strict policy prohibiting the release of details pertaining to any Search and Rescue / Recovery efforts that we may be involved with. This information includes, but is not limited to:

• Confirmation of involvement in a SAR operation, while the operation is on-going
• Details pertaining to the number of and name(s) of other organizations that may be involved
• Details about victims and their families
• Details about the status of an on-going operation
• Detail about methods, data, and findings while an operation is on-going

All inquiries about on-going operations should be and will be directed to the VIASAR Director of Operations.

While we are unwilling to discuss the details of on-going operations, VIASAR is a friend to the press. If you have questions concerning:

• VIASAR’s history
• VIASAR’s mission
• How we conduct operations or manage the business of imagery analysis
• Post-operation successes and failures
• Our future

…or anything we might not have included here (that is not in opposition to our policy stated above), please feel free to contact our Director of Operations to schedule an appointment.