Urban search and rescue - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Urban search and rescue (abbreviated as USAR, also known as Urban SAR - or US&R in the United States) involves the location, extrication, and initial medical stabilization of victims trapped in confined spaces due to natural disasters, structural collapse, transportation accidents, mines and collapsed trenches.

USAR teams in different countries may be organised in a variety of ways, but they are often associated with firefighting services

The increasingly complex methods and procedures, and the modern ability to bring in teams from far afield has brought a very strong drive for standardization within nations and internationally, most obvious in the role of the UN’s International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) in large natural disasters.

Urban search-and-rescue is considered a multi-hazard discipline, as it may be needed for a variety of hazards including earthquake

Earthquake

An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...

s, cyclone

Cyclone

In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth. This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. Most large-scale...

s, storm

Storm

A storm is any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere, especially affecting its surface, and strongly implying severe weather...

s and tornado

Tornado

A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...

es, flood

Flood

A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...

s, dam failures, technological accidents, terrorist activities, and hazardous materials releases.

Types

USAR task forces are often categorized for standardization http://www.fema.gov/pdf/nims/508-8_search_and_rescue_resources.pdf. Depending upon the classification of the task force, there can be close to 70 positions. But to be sure a full team can respond to an emergency, USAR task forces have at the ready more than 140 highly-trained members. A task force is often a partnership between local fire department

Fire department

A fire department or fire brigade is a public or private organization that provides fire protection for a certain jurisdiction, which typically is a municipality, county, or fire protection district...

s, law enforcement agencies

Law enforcement agency

In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...

, federal and local governmental agencies and private companies. In the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, these can be federally endorsed teams http://www.fema.gov/usr/usrtask.shtm or state teams activated through mutual aid agreements. In England, the responsibility for USAR lies with local authority fire and rescue services. Equipment supplied to them is part of a government

Department for Communities and Local Government

The Department for Communities and Local Government is the UK Government department for communities and local government in England. It was established in May 2006 and is the successor to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, established in 2001...

initiative known as the New Dimension programme

New Dimension programme

The New Dimension programme, sometimes referred to as the New Dimension or New Dimensions, was started by the Department for Communities and Local Government in the UK, for fire and rescue services in England and Wales, following the 2001 terror attacks.It has provided equipment, training and...

which provides the training and equipment.

USAR Teams bring together, in an integrated response: highly-trained personnel from the emergency service

Emergency service

Emergency services are organizations which ensure public safety and health by addressing different emergencies. Some agencies exist solely for addressing certain types of emergencies whilst others deal with ad hoc emergencies as part of their normal responsibilities...

s along with engineers, medics and search dog pairs, specialised equipment effective communications established methods of command and control logistical support procedures to request international assistance if required under an international search and rescue framework. The training that teams receive is an ongoing procedure combining classes from the local fire and rescue services and government agencies.

Equipment

USAR task forces are expected to be totally self-sufficient for the first 72 hours of a deployment. The equipment cache used to support a task force can weigh more than 60,000 pounds and is worth more than $1.4 million US. USAR task forces can:

Conduct physical search-and-rescue in collapsed buildings
Provide emergency medical care to trapped victims
Utilize search and rescue dog
Search and rescue dog
The use of dogs in search and rescue is a valuable component in wilderness tracking, natural disasters, mass casualty events, and in locating missing people. Dedicated handlers and well-trained dogs are required for the use of dogs to be effective in search efforts...

s to find survivors of the collapse
Assess and control utilities and hazardous materials
Evaluate and stabilize damaged structures

Techniques

In a disaster situation the goal of a search and rescue operation is to rescue the greatest number of people in the shortest amount of time, while minimizing the risk to the rescuers. In the United States, the organization of USAR operations is now standardized under the National Incident Management System

National Incident Management System

The National Incident Management System is emergency management doctrine used nationwide to coordinate emergency preparedness and incident management and response among the public and private sectors.NIMS is a comprehensive, national approach to incident management that is applicable at all...

, which was in scattered usage before Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...

but has since become the standard under [Presidential Directive 5 (HSPD-5]http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/02/20030228-9.html). Katrina proved the difficulty of coordinating multiple disaster response teams from around the country when some used ICS

Incident Command System

The Incident Command System is "a systematic tool used for the command, control, and coordination of emergency response" according to the United States Federal Highway Administration...

and some used their own local organizational models.

Sizeup

Gather facts and make decisions on the course of action. For example, what types of structures are involved, the extent of damage, the layout of the building(s) involved, what hazards are present (such as downed power lines, natural gas leaks, flooding, animals, hazardous materials, or a structure susceptible to additional collapse during the rescue), and what rescue personnel and equipment are available. Structural damage can be categorized as light, moderate, or heavy. Sizeup is an ongoing process which should continue during all phases of search and rescue so operations can be modified as needed.

Search

Searchers should use a buddy system

Buddy system

The buddy system is a procedure in which two people, the "buddies", operate together as a single unit so that they are able to monitor and help each other.-Advantages:...

or two-in, two-out

Two-in, two-out

In firefighting, the policy of two-in, two-out mandates that firefighters never go into a dangerous situation in a fire or rescue incident alone...

system and have backup teams available. Techniques for searching for potential victims are based on identifying possible locations of victims, or areas of entrapment. Areas of entrapment inside damaged structures are called voids. There are several types of voids, such as the pancake void (multiple floors of a building have collapsed diagonally onto each other), and the lean-to void (a single wall or floor has collapsed diagonally against another wall). Voids can also include spaces where victims may have entered for self-protection during a disaster - such as under desks or in bathtubs or closets. Once the potential areas of entrapment have been identified and the potential number of victims sized up, search operations should commence in an orderly manner, beginning with verbally calling out for victims to identify their location if possible, and searching using a systematic search pattern. Possible search patterns include triangulation (using three searchers approaching a potential area of entrapment from three different directions), a right/left search pattern (one team searches the left side and one team the right side of a building), or a bottom-up/top-down search pattern. Searchers should stop frequently to listen for noises or attempted communication from victims; often this can involve all searchers stopping activity at specified periods of time to listen. In situations where multiple structures are searched such as after a hurricane, the outside of buildings can be marked using the FEMA or INSARAG marking systems to indicate buildings which have already been searched, the results of the search, and to avoid duplication of search efforts.

Rescue

Trapped victims are removed and medical aid rendered as necessary. The triage

Triage

Triage or ) is the process of determining the priority of patients' treatments based on the severity of their condition. This rations patient treatment efficiently when resources are insufficient for all to be treated immediately. The term comes from the French verb trier, meaning to separate,...

system can be used to prioritize medical aid with those needing immediate attention aided first. Removal or stabilization of debris is often necessary to remove victims. This can be accomplished using leveraging to lift the object, or cribbing

Cribbing (rescue)

A box crib or cribbing is a temporary wooden structure used to support heavy objects during construction, relocation, vehicle extrication and urban search and rescue. It is commonly used to secure overturned motor vehicles, and debris within collapsed buildings. Cribbing is often used in...

(constructing a rectangular wooden framework known as a box crib underneath the object to be stabilized). Leveraging and cribbing can be combined. Victims who are ambulatory can then self-extricate, or victims can be removed using lifts, drags, or carries. Removal of victims should be done so as to avoid any further injury: Where any neck or back injury is suspected, the cervical spine should be immobilized first before attempting to move victims, and dragging should be avoided in situations where the presence of debris (e.g., broken glass) would cause further injury by doing so.

The INSARAG marking system

Markings on searched structures usually use the United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

International Search & Rescue Advisory Group marking system:

A 1 meter by 1 meter square with G or N (for go or no-go), the team conducting the search, the date and time of the start of the search, and the date and time of the completion of the search written inside.
The number of live victims removed is written to the left of the square. The number of dead victims found is written to the right of the square. Persons unaccounted for and/or location of other victims is written below the square.
Additional information on hazards pertaining to the structure is written above the square.
Any reference to building floor numbers use ground as G, 1 as the first floor above G, B1 as the first floor below G, and so forth. This is contrasted with US floor numbering, that starts with 1 as the ground level.
INSARAG marking squares should be written in day-glo orange.

United States FEMA marking

In the United States, a different FEMA marking system is used on searched structures, as follows:

A single diagonal slash indicates that a search in the building is in progress. This is used to indicate searcher locations and to avoid duplication of the search effort.
An X inside a square means "Dangerous - Do Not Enter!"
An X with writing around it means "Search Completed", with the time (and the date if appropriate) written above the X, the team conducting the search written to the left side of the X, the results of the search (number of victims removed, number of dead, type of search such as primary or secondary) written below the X, and any additional information noted about the structure to the right of the X.

These x-codes are used in a variety of situations and were prolific (and adopted and modified by other agencies) during post-Katrina operations.

External links

Search And Rescue Assistance In Disasters USAR NGO based in the UK
International Rescue Corps International Rescue Corps - UK
Federal Emergency Management Agency National Urban Search and Rescue Program
South Carolina USAR Task Force
FEMA Field Operations Guide Including descriptions of markings on evacuated and searched buildings
State Urban Search and Rescue Alliance SUSAR Web Page
RAPID UK Rescue and Preparedness in Disasters (UK Based NGO)
SEEBA SEEBA (D)
Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) UK
Texas Task Force 1
Korea National 119 Rescue Services (Korea Search and Rescue Team, KOSAR)
NC Task Force 4 Urban SAR -- NCCERT
USAR.NL The Dutch international disaster response unit

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