The United Kingdom Fire Service International Search and Rescue Team (UK ISAR) is on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to respond to an accident or disaster anywhere in the world. The team is composed of firefighters and other specialist rescue personnel working within the UK emergency services.
Disasters and accidents can happen at any time and anywhere in the world, often without warning. There is a need for professional teams that can deploy rapidly and undertake effective search and rescue operations. The UK Fire Service Search and Rescue Team is one of the teams registered with the United Nations and The European Community Mechanism that can provide such a service. The team has, over the last 18 years, successfully carried out search, rescue and relief missions around the world.
Team structure
There are 13 UK ISAR teams in the UK and they operate a rota system based on two groups providing 24 hour cover for National and International deployments:
- Group A – Grampian, Hampshire, Leicestershire, West Midlands, Cheshire, South Wales
- Group B – Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Mid & West Wales, Essex, Kent, West Sussex
The team were deployed to the Pakistan earthquake in 2005 Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service UK ISAR
There are 25 team members in Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service’s UK ISAR. They are headed up by Peter Stevenson, who is also the Deputy Borough Commander for Rochdale. The 25 members are split in three teams.
The role of the team is to respond to a request from the Government with personnel and equipment to an international disaster such as an earthquake. When on international call, we will send a team of six including the team leader from one of the groups and a Group Commander to act as the Operations Commander or Deployment Commander in charge of all Fire and Rescue Service UK ISAR.
The intention is for the team to be arriving in the affected country within 24 hours of the disaster occurring and be able to be self sufficient for periods up to 10 days. In order to achieve this the team members have to be fully trained firefighters who have been selected as suitable for the work and are fully inoculated for working overseas. Additional training over and above that normally required for firefighters is required for all team members.
The three group rota ensures that if a team is deployed overseas then arrangements are in place to continue to provide a USAR response within Greater Manchester or on a National deployment.
Equipment
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service UK International Search and Rescue Team take a large quantity of equipment that is specially packaged for air transportation. The equipment includes the full range of heavy rescue equipment generally used for Urban Search and Rescue Operations with additional items that allow the team to operate in extreme conditions. This includes various specialist tools but also camping equipment, food/water and survival items to ensure the team is completely self sufficient for 7 – 10 days if required.
Capabilities/resources/equipment
Search and Rescue in collapsed structures
- Search dogs
- Search cameras with probes
- Delsar audio monitoring
- Communications probes
- Concrete drilling equipment
- Lightweight portable cutting equipment
- Hot cutting equipment
- Shoring equipment
- Rope rescue
- GPS
Skills
The team members have a range of skills utilising:
- Search and rescue
- Collapsed structures
- Communications
- Disaster awareness
- Medical
- Environment
- Humanitarian
- Training
- Incident security
news source – http://www.manchesterfire.gov.uk/our-emergency-response/uk-fire-services-search-and-rescue-team-.aspx
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