The number one priority for emergency responders is to locate and secure their client tin the shortest amount of time possible. Search and Rescue missions usually last anywhere between 3 and 14 days. Search parties ranging from 30 to 100 traverse through various terrains and conditions while wearing an ensemble of rather bulky gear for multiple days.

To equip the average search and rescue individual with the lightest and most essential equipment possible is the ideal situation. The goal is to have a loadout that promotes less fatigue. Search and Rescue team members perform their duties at the highest efficiency when they can move around freely without becoming encumbered. This same logic applies to firefighters as well.

The goal of this research is to determine what tools are necessary for emergency responders to carry during their missions. It is obvious that the more one loads upon themselves, the more weight they will have to bear. Bearing more, and potentially unnecessary weight will read to more rapid fatigue. This will then slow down the search party, causing substantial time loss, when time is the most precious resource in these scenarios.