USAR

USAR (or Urban Search and Rescue) also known as Collapsed Structure SAR is one of our specialist disciplines. It is especially relevant in situations where structural collapse, shoring, breaching, breaking, technical search, confined space, rope and medical services are needed following an earthquake, landslide or building collapse.
ERTSAR deploy to New York as a part of the "Hurricane Sandy Response" in 2012 for "Operation Bobcat"
USAR / HUSAR (Urban Search and Rescue / Heay Urban Search and Rescue) capacity has been a staple of the team since the first international mission and ERT SAR follows established national and international standards of best practice including the
  • United Nations (UN) Urban Search and Rescue (USAR)
  • Standards as per the INSARAG (International Search and Rescue Advisory Group) within OCHA (The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) 
And also the United States and International NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) standards including 1006 and 1670 for Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue and other FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) standards for engineering, victim and search markings and technical rescue SOGs / SOPs.
Our SAR Chief Gary Foo, a UN Coordinator & PoC / Focal Point for missions, is interviewed on CTV in Canada following Rana Plaza Collapse
The UN INSARAG FCSS defines USAR (Urban Search & Rescue) as
“The Science of responding, locating, reaching, medically treating and safely extricating victims entrapped by collapsed structures.”
Usually, the mission of (UN) USAR Teams is ideally to handle the more “difficult” rescues, meaning those victims that can not be easily accessed. These actions require specially trained and equipped rescuers, used to operating safely and effectively in highly technical and dangerous rescues. Teams are categorized in 3 or 4 groups based on their capacity and application.
ERTSAR based at the UN BoO / OSOCC on deployment to Port-Au-Prince Haiti for the 2010 Earthquake response: "Operation Crocodile"
ERT SAR (The Emergency Response Team Search and Rescue) is a United Nations recognized INSARAG* asset and UN coordinated International Disaster Response Search and Rescue Team.

ERT SAR ascribes to the United Nations INSARAG (International Search and Rescue Advisory Group) Standard and is conversant with other standards such as NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) 1006 & 1670 standard for Technical Rescue, is compliant with UN INSARAG and FEMA USAR Markings (USA). ERT SAR is also a DEFRA (UK) Flood & Swiftwater Rescue asset.

Although it has Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) capacity ERT SAR are considered a Medium USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) Team capable of deploying to unsteady environments involving several Technical Rescue disciplines such as collapsed structures, confined spaces, trench rescues, hazardous materials (HazMat) etc. ​
USAR is also known under NFPA standards as "Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue"

This is often in response to, but not limited to, Earthquakes, Storms, Tsunamis, explosions and structural collapses.

ERT SAR has the capacity to deploy with USAR resources, skills and Operators & Technicians in all of the domains including:-
  • Search
  • Rescue
  • Medical
  • Logistics
  • Leadership
  • Safety & Security
 Picture
PHOTO: Haiti Earthquake 2010. Sector 8, Port Au Prince. ERT SAR at The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de L'Assomption),

ERT SAR deploys on one of very many life saving and life affecting USAR Missions as a team of specialised  USAR / Medics to help dig out survivors and treat victims.
Our Technical Rescue capacity includes
  • Urban Search and Rescue / Collapsed Structure SAR
  • Heavy Lifting and Machinery
  • Cutting tools, breaching & Breaker
  • Technical Search (including the Snake Cam & DelSAR listening Device)
  • Specialist Low/no light (including Passive NVG, TIC / Thermal Imaging & FLIR)
  • Confined Space Rescue / Air Monitoring / The Use of SCBA
  • High / Low Angle Rope Rescue (e.g. NFPA 1006 / Ch 5)
  • Structural Assessments & Structural Engineers
  • Medical Professionals inc. Paramedics, Nurses & Doctors
  • Other Complementary skills eg. Trench Rescue & Haz-Mat
WHAT IS R.E.P.E.A.T.?

Using the acronym R.E.P.E.A.T. as a mnemonic, USAR Operators and Technicians are taught to approach the situation in 6 stages and learn various building and construction methods and SOPs.  

            R  Reconnaissance
            E  Elimination of utilities
            P  Primary surface search
            E  Exploration of voids
            A  Access by selected debris removal
            T  Terminate by general debris removal
Not all UN coordinated missions are specifically USAR although CM-Coord / CIMIC (Civil Military Coordination), IHL (International Humanitarian Law) knowledge and skills as well as many transferable skills (such as chainsawing and disaster assessments) are often used as a part of the mission. An example is the 40 second video clip below from Typhoon Haiyan.

Some Useful Links & Downloads



​
UN OCHA INSARAG GUIDELINES (WEBPAGE)
UN OCHA INSARAG Guidelines 2012 [DOWNLOAD]
US NFPA 100 Standards 2017 [LINK]
​
Online Training
OSOCC E-Learning Course Online [LINK]
B-SAFE UN Online Security Training [LINK]

USA CoE FEMA USAR Course
1] Go to this link: 
https://rsc.usace.army.mil/?q=Training/Civil-Level-Two/Structural-Collapse-Awareness
2] Then go to this link: Structural Collapse Awareness - http://rsc.usace.army.mil/Captivate/sca/
3] Do the course, download the manual & take test
Using Paratech Shoring for stabilizing compromised structures in Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue / USAR.
Aerial Disaster Assessments