Build a complete search team and preserve the distinction between an active-drone prerequisite and an aerial dispatch requirement.
The search team is more than its 4x4s
Search and Rescue HQ becomes useful when command, operational support, search personnel and aerial cover can work together. Buying a collection of off-road vehicles without those other pieces creates a fleet that looks prepared but leaves high-risk searches waiting.
For a first region, our recommendation is to identify one realistic search footprint and list the exact resources for a High Risk Missing Person incident. Assign a named backup source for each rare element. Expand HQ numbers only after a second incident can be supported without removing every commander and search adviser from the first region.
High Risk Missing Person, decoded
The current record (635) has generation conditions including two Search and Rescue HQs, three Rescue Stations, three Police Stations and one active Drone. It also has available-personnel thresholds of two Search Advisors and four SAR Commanders.
The response requests three Police Cars, one Control Van, one operational-support choice, one Police Helicopter-or-Drone choice and two 4x4 Vehicles. At the incident, one Search Advisor and two SAR Commanders are required. The page’s Search Technician field is worded as an average minimum; preserve that wording rather than presenting it as a guaranteed fixed unlock count.
Very High Risk Missing Person (636) raises the Police Station prerequisite to six and the Police Car response to five. Its other listed command, aerial and support quantities follow the same pattern. Check the variant rather than assuming the higher reward means every resource doubles.
Build rules that reflect alternatives
- Keep the active Drone prerequisite separate from the response row that allows a Police Helicopter or Drone.
- Treat Operational Support Van, Trailer or Personal SAR Vehicle as one alternative group when the mission presents them together.
- Test the exact 4x4 types selected by your rule; a similar vehicle name or graphic does not prove eligibility.
- Check the personnel riding in selected vehicles before blaming the rule for missing command qualifications.
- If selecting a trailer, verify its live compatible towing arrangement before making it your only support option.
Diagnose delay before expanding
Measure three separate delays: time until you can dispatch, time spent travelling and time until the search plus patient work finishes. A shortage of Control Vans calls for a different fix from a distant police helicopter or a patient waiting for transport. Buying more HQs addresses none of those problems by itself.
If the same specialist is repeatedly borrowed from a distant city, add a complete regional search group rather than scattering single vehicles. Retest after changing personnel assignments or alarm-rule categories. Keep a short record of which exact mission and variant passed, so a future update can be checked against an actual baseline.
Sources and further reading
Latest editorial change: Added an answer-first summary, action checklist and related planning/reference link. Detailed source dates remain independent.
Official sources establish game rules; practical build orders and planning examples are TKB recommendations. Follow the UK game’s current requirement panel where a later update differs.