Search Effort in Searcher-Hours

What sweeping a segment actually costs: track feet = 43,560 x acres / spacing.

Run the calculator

Example

You enter

Segment area (acres) 160
Track spacing (ft) 40
Ground speed (mph) 1.5
Searchers walking simultaneously 8

You get

Track-line length 33 mi
Total effort 22 searcher-hours
Team clock time 2.75 hr

Details, formula, and sources

effort = track feet / (mph x 5,280) in searcher-hours, and the team clock time = effort / searchers. A 160-acre segment at 40 ft spacing is 33 miles of track line - 22 searcher-hours at 1.5 mph, or 2.75 clock hours for a team of eight, before briefing, travel, and rest. Prices the track spacing a target POD sets, so segments get sized to the resources. A planning aid, not a promise of coverage.

track_ft = 43,560 x area_acres / track_spacing_ft; searcher_hours = track_ft / (speed_mph x 5,280); team_clock_hr = searcher_hours / searchers.

NSARC / USCG search-planning practice (effort = area over spacing over speed), by name.

Search-planning relations are public (US Coast Guard / NSARC references); the incident commander and search plan govern.

Estimate. AHJ and licensed fire protection engineer govern.

Field names used by the API: area_acres, track_spacing_ft, speed_mph, searchers, track_line_mi, searcher_hours, team_clock_hr

Grid-walking only effort counts track-line walking; briefing, travel, rest, and detours add on topNSARC / USCG search-planning practice