# Choose Four Search Procedure Skills

Part of the Search and Rescue Merit Badge Digital Resource Guide: [Introduction & Overview](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/search-and-rescue/guide/index.md)

*6. Search Procedure Skills*

> **6.** Do the following:

You must choose exactly 4 options from this requirement.

Each option teaches a different piece of how SAR teams think. Some focus on vocabulary. Some help you understand how a search area is built. Others help you see how information about the missing person shapes the plan.

## Your Options

- **[Req 6a — Search vs. Rescue](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/search-and-rescue/guide/req6a/)**: Learn the difference between finding someone and getting them safely out. This helps you understand why the mission may change the moment the subject is located.
- **[Req 6b — PLS and LKP](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/search-and-rescue/guide/req6b/)**: Understand the two starting points that shape the entire search area. You will learn why solid last-seen information matters so much.
- **[Req 6c — Clear Communication](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/search-and-rescue/guide/req6c/)**: See how clear reports, radio discipline, and accurate notes keep teams from wasting time or missing clues.
- **[Req 6d — Lost Person Behavior](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/search-and-rescue/guide/req6d/)**: Study how age and behavior patterns affect where teams look first and what tactics make sense.
- **[Req 6e — Core SAR Terms](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/search-and-rescue/guide/req6e/)**: Build a vocabulary for urgency, confinement, scent work, clue handling, and common search methods.

## How to Choose

**Choosing Your four topics** — Pick the combination that gives you the clearest picture of how SAR works

- [ ] **Best for mission basics:** 6a, 6b, and 6c explain the structure of a search from start to finish.
- [ ] **Best for search planning:** 6b, 6d, and 6e show how the search area, subject profile, and tactics fit together.
- [ ] **Best for learning field vocabulary:** 6c and 6e introduce many of the terms and habits you will hear in real training.
- [ ] **What you gain:** 6a sharpens the mission goal, 6b sharpens your starting point, 6c sharpens teamwork, 6d sharpens prediction, and 6e sharpens your language.

| Option | Time to grasp | Best for | What you gain |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 6a | Short | Big-picture understanding | Clear difference between locating and recovering |
| 6b | Short | Map and planning skills | Better search starting point |
| 6c | Medium | Teamwork and leadership | Better reporting and fewer mistakes |
| 6d | Medium | Subject behavior and planning | Better idea of where to look first |
| 6e | Longest | Terms and tactics | A broad vocabulary for real SAR conversations |

> **Tip**
>
> If you want the most balanced set, start with 6a, 6b, 6c, and 6d. Add 6e if you especially want more terminology and search-method detail.

Now start with the simplest distinction in the set: the difference between finding the subject and safely recovering the subject.

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- Previous: [Who Does What on SAR Teams](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/search-and-rescue/guide/req5/index.md)
- Next: [Search vs. Rescue](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/search-and-rescue/guide/req6a/index.md)