Travelling Fellowship Report 2011 | Ian Nuttall

WINSTON

CHURCHILL

MEMORIAL

TRUST

PRACTICAL EXPERIENCES IN DISASTER

RESPONSE AND THE LESSONS LEARNT

‘never give in...’

Sir Winston Churchill 1941

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CONTENTS Brief Introduction: ............................................................................................................................... 4

Topical Background: ................................................................................................................................ 4

Personal Context: .................................................................................................................................... 6

My Fellowship: ........................................................................................................................................ 7

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue: ........................................................................................................................ 9

Miami-Dade Technical Rescue Team .................................................................................................. 9

Florida Task Force 1 .......................................................................................................................... 10

Marine Operations and Air Rescue ................................................................................................... 11

National Hurricane Center and Office of Emergency Management ................................................. 11

Los Angeles County Fire Department: .................................................................................................. 13

CA-TF2 ............................................................................................................................................... 13

Exercise Golden Guardian ................................................................................................................. 14

USAR Station Ride along ................................................................................................................... 14

Air Operations ................................................................................................................................... 15

San Francisco Fire Department ............................................................................................................. 16

Earthquakes and the Community Response ..................................................................................... 16

Heavy Rescue Units ........................................................................................................................... 17

New York State ...................................................................................................................................... 18

Hurricane Irene ................................................................................................................................. 18

New York City ........................................................................................................................................ 20

Ride along with FDNY Rescue 1 ........................................................................................................ 20

9/11 ................................................................................................................................................... 21

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department: ....................................................................................... 23

VA-TF1 ............................................................................................................................................... 23

Technical Rescue Operations Team .................................................................................................. 23

USARMY 911th Technical Rescue Unit ............................................................................................... 25

United States Marine Corps. Chemical Biological Incident Response Force .................................... 26

Disaster Psychology .......................................................................................................................... 27

9/11 Memorial Visit .......................................................................................................................... 28

Learning Outcomes ............................................................................................................................... 30

Personal Observations ...................................................................................................................... 30

Professional Observations ................................................................................................................ 32

Trench Rescue ................................................................................................................................ 32

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Structural Assessment and Structural Specialists .......................................................................... 32

Simple methods for monitoring secondary collapse ..................................................................... 35

Contextual and realistic training .................................................................................................... 36

Interagency training and Disaster Victim Identification ................................................................ 38

Basic USAR skills for fire-fighters ................................................................................................... 39

Leadership and Integration............................................................................................................ 40

Summary of Salient Points ................................................................................................................ 42

Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................... 43

Appendices ............................................................................................................................................ 45

Appendix 1 ............................................................................................................................................ 46

Technical Rescue within the US ........................................................................................................ 46

LFRS Technical Rescue Team............................................................................................................. 46

Appendix 2 ............................................................................................................................................ 48

What is Urban Search and Rescue? .................................................................................................. 48

Appendix 3 ............................................................................................................................................ 50

What is UK ISAR? ............................................................................................................................... 50

Appendix 4 ............................................................................................................................................ 52

Leicestershire’s ISAR History ............................................................................................................. 52

Appendix 5 ............................................................................................................................................ 53

Overview of Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) in the United States ............................................... 53

Appendix 6 ............................................................................................................................................ 55

Leicester Mercury 13th September 2011. ......................................................................................... 55

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BRIEF INTRODUCTION: This project aims to outline the once in a lifetime experiences I gained from my Winston Churchill

Memorial Trust Fellowship to the United States. My project was to research the lessons learnt by

first responders involved in rescue and recovery at large scale disasters, for example hurricanes and

earthquakes; as well as terrorist events.

Specific learning points have been disseminated elsewhere; however the salient learning points will

be discussed along with the background to my Fellowship and more detailed information regarding

the visits that occurred. Further information relevant to my report has been included in the

appendices, and these provide background and further detailed information regarding specific topics

covered in this report.

During my Fellowship I was able to maintain a blog of my visits and this can be found at

http://postcardsfromachurchillfellow.wordpress.com/. Most of the photographs included in this

report are my own and any that are not I have included in the caption where this has come from.

TOPICAL BACKGROUND: In recent years there appears to have been an increase in ‘disasters’, both man-made and large scale

natural disasters which have endangered human life, for example the terrorist attacks on September

11th 2001 (2001), Hurricane Katrina (2005), Haitian Earthquake (2010), New Zealand Earthquake

(2011) and the Japanese Tsunami (2011).

FIGURE 1 MEDIA HEADLINES FROM THE SEPTEMBER 11TH ATTACKS 2001, THE NEW ZEALAND EARTHQUAKE 2011 AND THE JAPANESE

TSUNAMI 2011 (TAKEN FROM THE RESPECTIVE NEWSPAPERS).

In the first decade of the 21st Century a United Nations sponsored report found that more people

died from earthquakes than from any other disaster1. In the 2010 Haitian Earthquake 3,500,000

people were affected overall; including 220,000 deaths and over 300,000 injuries2. At 12.51 pm

(local time) on 22nd February a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck 10 km near Christchurch, the death

toll was 182, making it New Zealand’s worst natural disaster in terms of loss of life since 19313 and

1 www.redorbit.com/news/science/1815603/earthquakes_biggest_killer_over_last_10_years/index.html 2 www.dec.org.uk/haiti-earthquake-facts-and-figures 3 www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/new-zealand-disasters/timeline

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this was followed shortly after by the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan,

in which a total of 203644 were confirmed dead or missing.

The initial rescue response to these incidents is by both professional governmental organisations

and volunteer teams. However certain incidents cannot be dealt with by the affected country and

international assistance may be needed; for example both the US and the UK sent International

Search and Rescue teams to Haiti, New Zealand and Japan.

FIGURE 2 THE UK-ISAR TEAM IN NEW ZEALAND AND VIRGINIA TASK FORCE 1 (VA-TF1) IN JAPAN (COURTESY OF BOB ZOLDOS, VA-TF1).

4 National Police Agency as published on August 15 http://earthquake-report.com/2011/08/04/japan-tsunami-following-up-the-aftermath-part-16-june/)

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PERSONAL CONTEXT: It was during my time at the University of Birmingham I became aware of the work UK fire-fighters

undertook during disasters, mainly due to the news coverage of the 1999 Turkish Earthquake by the

BBC. Watching the fire-fighters in their overalls searching through the rubble and performing rescues

sparked my interest in disaster search and rescue. I graduated with a degree in environmental geo-

science in 2001 and I joined Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) in 2003 as a fire-fighter.

In 2006, I transferred to the county’s technical rescue team (Appendix 1) and gained a diploma in

Specialist Rescue from Coventry University. Three years later, I underwent a selection course and

was chosen to be a member of Leicestershire's contingent of the UK Fire and Rescue Service's

volunteer International Search and Rescue (UK-ISAR) Team (Appendix 3).

The Leicestershire ISAR team that I joined was very

experienced (Appendix 4) and included people who I

had watched on the news some ten years earlier,

working in the aftermath of the Turkish Earthquake.

It was because of this, and conversations I had with

my Crew Manager Jeff ‘Cess’ Poole (right) about his

time within the UK team, not just in training but his

actual deployment experience to Turkey in 1999.

Jeff learnt from his experiences and from the Dutch

team in Turkey that certain additions to personal kit

can have a dramatic effect upon personal comfort,

whilst working in climates different to the UK. The

Dutch team used tarps over their tents to keep the

sun off and create a slight breeze so they could

actually sleep during the day. It could also be used as

a shelter from severe weather. Upon his return, Jeff

always carried a tarp in his personal kit in case of

deployment. A practical experience he gained from

attending a disaster and passed on via word of

mouth. I wondered what other practical lessons had

been learnt elsewhere in the world.

So I was inspired to apply for a Winston Churchill Fellowship myself to try and bring a different

perspective and set of experiences to the team.

Less than 3 weeks after being told about my Fellowship success I was on my way to New Zealand,

with 6 of my Leicestershire colleagues contributing to the 61 person strong UK-ISAR team sent to

assist with rescue efforts after the 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch, an experience that I

learnt immensely from and shared my experiences whilst on my Fellowship.

FIGURE 3 JEFF 'CESS' POOLE, MY INSPIRATION FOR MY

FELLOWSHIP WITH HIS HOME-MADE PERSONALISED ACTION

FIGURE RETIREMENT GIFT.

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MY FELLOWSHIP: I undertook my Fellowship in August and September 2011. This coincided with the 10th anniversary

of the events of September 11th, an event which the whole world watched and because of the media

became aware of specialist rescue teams and the roles they can provide in the aftermath of a

disaster.

Due to my involvement in the rescue efforts following the New Zealand earthquake, my itinerary

changed slightly from my initial Fellowship application due to contacts that I had made during the

rescue and recovery efforts. The events of Hurricane Irene also played a part in my Fellowship,

affecting visits and meetings that had been arranged.

I chose to visit 5 main areas due to the experiences of teams and individuals from those areas that

have responded to a wide variety of disasters; both domestically as well as internationally. I also

took into account the potential for natural hazards that occur in those regions (hurricanes and

earthquakes) to gain an insight into the preparations for large scale disasters and the training both

individuals and teams undertake in order to respond efficiently along with any personal experiences.

FIGURE 4 THE 5 MAIN FIRE DEPARTMENTS VISITED DURING MY FELLOWSHIP.

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My Fellowship itinerary followed a similar pattern with a week in each of the following areas:

Miami (Miami-Dade Fire Rescue)

Los Angeles (LA County Fire Department)

San Francisco (San Francisco Fire Department)

New York City/State (FDNY and New York State Fire Department)

Washington DC/Fairfax, Virginia (Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department).

I spent the majority of my time with the fire departments responsible for those urban areas because:

Technical Rescue Teams and Local USAR/Heavy Rescue teams which relates directly to my

role within Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service (Appendix 1-Technical Rescue and

Appendix 2-USAR).

National FEMA Task Forces which provide a link to UK USAR national deployments (Appendix

5).

The US International USAR Teams; Fairfax County and Los Angeles County are, with Miami-

Dade being historically involved.

Various other agencies were also visited so I could gain a greater understanding of the whole

rescue effort, and how these organisations prepare in advance for large scale events.

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MIAMI-DADE FIRE RESCUE: Miami –Dade Fire Rescue (MDFR) is the largest Fire Department in the Southeast region and ranks as

one the top ten largest fire departments in the United States. MDFR has a response territory of

1,883 square miles, a resident population greater than 1.7 million and responds to more than

222,000 calls annually. The Special Operations Division within MDFR provides specialised assistance

in the following key areas of response in order to handle large or complicated incidents: Air Rescue,

Marine Services (Marine Operations, Dive Rescue, and Ocean Rescue), Hazardous Materials

Response, Technical Rescue, Urban Search and Rescue and Venom Response5.

MIAMI-DADE TECHNICAL RESCUE TEAM

My time with MDFR started with a welcome from Assistant Chief Dave Downey. I was then

introduced to Alan Perry (Chief of USAR) and Captain Jeff Strickland (Technical Rescue Team

Manager). Chief Perry discussed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and USAR

systems of work both locally and nationally. This gave me a good understanding and foundation for

the rest of my Fellowship visits, as all the teams operate under the same system. Captain Strickland

explained how the Technical Rescue Team (TRT) is set up operationally and how he manages and

maintains skill levels as well as organising training for the 70 TRT personnel and 350 (approx.) fully

trained TRT fire-fighters that are not on the team; but have to maintain their skills and competences.

This is facilitated by Lieutenant Bill Licea, whose role is to organise specialist training for the relevant

personnel, including two 12 hour training days per month.

Operationally I witnessed two separate fatal Road Traffic Collisions (RTC’s). The skills, techniques and

equipment that were utilised during these incidents were very similar to those used in the UK.

However due to the high heat and humidity levels the fire-fighters rotated as tool operators

extremely frequently, a skill encouraged within the USAR environment, and I realised how important

personal hydration for crews working in this environment, even for a short duration.

FIGURE 5 MDFR DEALING WITH 2 DIFFERENT RTC'S.

MDFR recently opened its new Training Centre which is a multi-use, state of the art complex built on

11 acres of existing land directly south of MDFR's headquarters building. The Training Centre

provides numerous training and development opportunities for MDFR personnel and has some

5 http://www.miamidade.gov/mdfr/

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world class Technical Rescue facilities, as well as fire-fighting, and this allows contextual and realistic

training for all relevant personnel in the following:

Rescue Systems

Rope Rescue

Strategy & Tactics

Swift/Flood Water

Rescue

Tactical Medic

Trench Rescue

Confined Space

Rescue

Continuing Education

USAR

FLORIDA TASK FORCE 1

In the 1980’s Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (then Metro-Dade Fire Rescue) were instrumental in the

development of USAR within the US and were deployed internationally and the MDFR USAR team,

Florida Task Force-1 (FL-TF1), has had seen numerous operational deployments including; Hurricane

Andrew (1992), the World Trade Centre (2001), Hurricane Katrina (2005) and the earthquake in Haiti

(2010). As a result the team has a lot of operational experience at disasters.

MDFR Assistant Chief Dave Downey is Team Leader with FL-TF1 most recently in response to the

Haitian earthquake, but he was also involved in rescue efforts at the World Trade Centre where he

lost not only colleagues, but close personal friends from the FDNY. He has a wealth of knowledge,

listens to all team members and leads by example. He is also the Federal Emergency Management

Agency National Task Force Leaders Representative for the National Urban Search and Response

System. As a result Dave is a leading figure in the world of USAR and to have the opportunity to

exchange ideas, experiences and information with him was a great pleasure.

Through Dave I gained a better understanding of how USAR has developed in the United States over

the past 25 years, and how the training being utilised now has been developed from lessons learnt in

the past and how the actual experience of being deployed to an incident cannot be replicated, but

realistic training is very beneficial.

Communication is another key element that Dave discussed, not just how vital it is to the smooth

running of specialist teams, and the USAR response for the entire United States, but also how it

affects the morale of team members both during the day to day running of the team and during

disaster deployments. Captain Louie Fernandez also highlighted to me that communication also

plays an important role within the team during deployments, no matter how distressing the

situation, there are always colleagues and friends there with you, an experience I could relate to

with the New Zealand deployment. Dave was invited to give a talk at the opening of an exhibition at

the Miami Art Museum relating to the 10th anniversary of September 11th. Listening to the

FIGURE 6 ROPE RESCUE AND USAR LIFTING AND MOVING TRAINING UNDERTAKEN BY

BOTH TRT TRAINED MEMBERS AND FL-TF1 PERSONNEL AS PART OF THE MONTHLY

TRAINING DAY.

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experiences of the different rescuers that were involved highlighted that this event affected people

from thousands of miles away.

I was impressed by all the members of FL-TF1 that I was able to spend time with and it affirmed to

me how very similar the US and UK teams are in terms of personnel type, set up and team make up

(for example canines and logistics) and the response to international incidents. However it was also

apparent of the different scale of budgets involved, but this is due to the threat of natural disasters

that occurs in the United States.

MARINE OPERATIONS AND AIR RESCUE

Even though I have no direct connection to either Air Rescue or Marine Operations in the UK it was

arranged for me to spend time with both units and I was fortunate enough to experience a

helicopter ride-a-long and a demonstration of the fire boats capability in the port of Miami.

FIGURE 7 MDFR AIR RESCUE AND FIREBOAT 1.

From the crew members I spent time with I was aware that these specialist fire-fighters had a

serious passion for their job and in order to maintain up to date skills and competencies continuous

specialist training was a major priority.

Fire-fighters that undertake specialist roles are committing their selves professionally to the

department by undertaking these extra skills and maintaining this additional knowledge, this is

reciprocated from the department by allowing the appropriate training, and facilities for this to

occur. This was evident not just from the fire-fighters but the officers in charge and senior

management within the department.

NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AND OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

Hurricanes are one of the few large scale disaster events that are known about and studied even

before they make landfall and their physical effects are felt. They are tracked from the National

Hurricane Centre in Miami which I was shown around by Robert Molleda. Robert is one of the

Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the centre, and his depth of knowledge was incredible. It

was interesting to see how the information is collated and then distributed to the relevant external

agencies to allow appropriate hurricane preparations to be undertaken. Not just for an emergency

and disaster response and these open lines of communication make a post incident search and

rescue effort easier because there is less of a drain on the resources due to adequate preparation. A

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philosophy echoed by the Office of Emergency Management who educate and prepare prior to the

event, and during/post event hosts the Emergency Operations Centre which coordinates the

numerous agencies involved in the relief effort.

FIGURE 8THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTRE AND THE COMPUTER MODELLING INVOLVED IN TRACKING THE TROPICAL DEPRESSIONS

OFF THE AFRICAN COAST (LEFT) SOON TO BE NAMED IRENE IS INDICATED (RIGHT).

Whilst at the Centre a tropical depression off the African coast was being tracked and closely

monitored, this turned out to be Hurricane Irene. As a result I witnessed MDFR preparing for the

arrival of a hurricane, but Irene made landfall initially in North Carolina and then in New York State

affecting my Fellowship and planned visits for that region.

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LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: LA County Fire Department (LA Co FD) Special Operations is responsible for providing many highly

specialised services in support of the Department’s daily mission in LA County and preparation in the

event of a major disaster, including terrorism incidents involving mass casualties, locally or anywhere

in the world. The Technical Operations Section, part of the Department's Special Operations Bureau,

is responsible for the management, training and equipping of the Department's Urban Search and

Rescue Program; California Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 2 (CA-TF2) Domestic and

International Programs; Swift Water Rescue Program; Canine Search Program; and Project Life Saver,

the Department's Technical Rescue Training Program6.

CA-TF2

My stay with the Los Angeles Fire Department was arranged by Captain Derrick Chapman, a member

of both the departments USAR Team and California Task Force 2. CA-TF2 is one of the 28 FEMA USAR

teams in the United States, comprising specially trained and equipped LA County Fire Department

specialists. CA-TF2 provides the same role as FL-TF1 but in addition to a domestic response, CA-TF2

also operates at international disasters, both natural and manmade.

FIGURE 9 CAPTAIN DERRICK CHAPMAN AND A TASK FORCE 103'S USAR UNIT

Derrick was part of the Californian Task Force in New Zealand, and I found it extremely beneficial to

share experiences and learn from a different point of view. Whilst speaking to Derrick and other

team members that were involved with the New Zealand earthquake response, it was apparent that

the Californian team were given a very difficult and technically demanding task to complete. The

removal, from above of approximately 22 concrete sets of stairs from a high rise hotel to make sure

it was clear of any casualties. On initial approach this would seem like an extremely daunting task,

but the team members, with the assistance of the team structures specialists, approached the task

as a series of small individual tasks that were more manageable to complete.

6 http://fire.lacounty.gov/

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In was evident from the members of CA-TF2 how important training is to the team as this allows a

robust set of skills throughout the team and members are better prepared when challenged with

this type of scenario. One of the key training points that was highlighted to me involved contextual

training and the use of props within certain skills, i.e. not just the correct operation of the tool, but

what are the potential problems when using this skills/equipment in a disaster environment. A

specific example highlighted throughout my Fellowship was the use of mattresses in breaching and

breaking exercises.

As CA-TF2 was the first example of an International USAR team I had witnessed, I was impressed by

the logistics and equipment involved in a deployment, and the difference between a domestic and

international deployment. Within the space of a few weeks in early 2011 they had been deployed to

both the New Zealand Earthquake and the Japanese Tsunami, two different extremes, not only in

the theatre of the search and rescue environment but also the weather. Demonstrating the need for

appropriate personal equipment for the environment and climate in which the disaster has

occurred.

EXERCISE GOLDEN GUARDIAN

Exercise Golden Guardian is a 3 day county wide exercise simulating a large scale no notice event

(earthquake). The exercise involves all on duty personnel and engines with 2 of the main goals to:

Evaluation of LA Co FD personnel disaster response protocols.

Deployment of multiple LA Co FD resource configurations, from first responding Engines to a

Type 1 USAR Task Force in a realistic field setting.

This phased response exercise allows for the first responding crews (fire-fighters) to be given a

specific USAR task, but in order to complete the task they have to utilise the knowledge and

equipment that they have, not specialist USAR equipment. This would potentially occur during a

large earthquake in the region as the infrastructure would invariably be affected; how long would it

be until a USAR team was available or the equipment actually on scene?

USAR STATION RIDE ALONG

The Los Angeles County Fire Department maintains two

USAR Task Force fire stations, Station 103 in Pico Rivera,

and Station 134 in Lancaster. Each of these is staffed by six

USAR Technicians and I was able to do a 24 hour ride-a-long

shift at station 103.

This was a fantastic opportunity to spend time with a

specialist fire-fighter crew, doing the same role I do as a

fulltime fire-fighter in the UK with Leicestershire Fire and

Rescue Service. My time with Task Force 103 was brilliant

and it was apparent how close the role of a Technical

Rescue/USAR Operative is between the US and the UK and

how little difference there is between specialist fire-

fighters, personally and professionally. Basic training,

FIGURE 10 TASK FORCE 103 PATCH

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equipment, routine maintenance, call type and daily routines were very similar, after a few hours it

felt as if I was a part of the team.

The role that both the environment and climate played however was apparent with the need for

constant hydration and crew acclimatisation on the way to certain incidents (driving without the air

conditioning and windows ajar to reduce the immediate impacts of the heat upon arrival at an

incident).

FIGURE 11 TASK FORCE 103 URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE EQUIPMENT (LEFT IMAGE-FIRE.LACOUNTY.GOV) AND STATION AT PICO

RIVERA.

AIR OPERATIONS

The Air Operations Section fleet of aircraft consists of 3 Sikorsky S-70 Firehawks (civilian versions of

the UH-60 Blackhawk), 4 Bell 412’s (twin-engine, four bladed Huey’s) and a Bell 206 JetRanger. These

are used for various operations throughout the varied environments of Southern California

(approximately 4000 square miles); including coastline, desert, mountain and urban areas.

My visit demonstrated Air Operations crew members have numerous duties including performing

wild land fire-fighting, technical rescues, and air ambulance transports; these additional duties

involve additional training, skills and commitment for the team members. Confirming the drive and

professional passion I witnessed in MDFR from fire-fighters within a specialist rescue role.

FIGURE 12 A LA CO FD BLACKHAWK, MYSELF AS A MEMBER OF THE AIR CREW AND DAILY AIR CREW OPERATIONS.

Air Operations are also used to transport wild land fire-fighters and USAR/Technical Rescue

personnel to remote incidents, which has an impact on their training needs too.

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SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT

EARTHQUAKES AND THE COMMUNITY RESPONSE

Historically the city of San Francisco and the State of California have experienced large scale

earthquakes and live with the constant and ominous threat of ‘the big one’.

On October 17th, 1989, San Francisco experienced an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 on the

Richter scale. The aftermath of such an event and its effect on San Francisco's residents led to

specific action. The San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD), prompted by the residents in the city,

formed the Neighbourhood Emergency Response Team Training Program, which currently provides

training in disaster and emergency response7 (more commonly called Community Emergency

Response Teams in the rest of the US).

FIGURE 13 SFFD NERT IN THE LOCAL MEDIA

I was able to meet with Lt. Erica Arteseros the SFFD NERT coordinator who explained how these

Community/Neighbourhood Emergency Response Teams are funded and operated.

The initial Community Emergency Response Team

concept was developed and implemented by the Los

Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) in 1985. The

CERT program was developed primarily to keep

citizens safe and prepare them for disasters. If the

citizens are prepared and do not require assistance

during a major emergency, this will allow emergency

services personnel to focus on those that do need

assistance. Typically, CERT trained persons will self-

respond, meaning that if they attempt to contact

911, and get a delayed or no response, they will go

out into the neighborhood or businesses and assist

their neighbours or co-workers8. The Federal

Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recognised

the importance of this training, developing the

programme in 1993 and now there are

7 http://www.sf-fire.org/index.aspx?page=859

8 Steve Willey Virginia CERT Lead Instructor

FIGURE 14 COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAMS IN

THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FROM WWW.CITIZENCORPS.GOV/

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approximately 1800 teams across the United States with 275 in the State of California9.

For the SFFD NERT, the underlying premise is that a major disaster will overwhelm first responders

leaving many citizens on their own for the first 72 hours or longer after the emergency. The goal is to

teach as many San Franciscan's as possible with basic training, so they can make a difference in the

lives of their families and others when, not if, they are affected by a disaster large or small. Since

1990 the NERT program has trained more than 21,000 San Francisco residents to be self reliant in a

major disaster10.

The benefits of this programme for the members of the community are:

Developing self-confidence and peace of mind by learning practical information and hands

on life saving skills.

Building the community bond as individuals develop and share skills and resources to

protect themselves, their family and home, and their neighbourhood.

It creates a lifeline between family, neighbours and the City's emergency responders.

Increases the safety and well-being of a person’s family and neighbourhood in a time of

emergency when limited resources are available.

HEAVY RESCUE UNITS

Unfortunately due to events beyond my control

certain planned visits within the San Francisco Fire

Department did not take place as originally

planned and this only led to a brief overview of the

2 Heavy Rescue companies within the department.

These Heavy Rescue Units provide a US Technical

Rescue (Appendix 1) function; they are however

not part of the FEMA USAR response, so it was

interesting to see the apparent difference in the

setup of the team but with similar equipment,

even though I had limited access.

9 http://www.citizencorps.gov/

10 http://www.sf-fire.org/index.aspx?page=875

FIGURE 15 STOWAGE OF SHORING EQUIPMENT AND WOOD

CUTTING STATION IN A SEPARATE BOX TRAILER

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NEW YORK STATE

HURRICANE IRENE

Hurricane Irene was a strong Category 3 hurricane that passed over the Caribbean and the Bahamas,

then, as a Category 1 hurricane, made landfall in North Carolina and again in New Jersey on the East

Coast of the United States, causing at least 56 deaths and $10.1 billion (2011 USD) in damage11.

Irene was downgraded to a Tropical Storm by the time it made landfall in New York, but the impact

of Tropical Storm Irene severely affected my planned visits in New York.

FIGURE 16 THE PATH OF HURRICANE AND TROPICAL STORM IRENE AND A SATELLITE IMAGE TAKEN AS THE STORM APPROACHED NEW

YORK12.

My initial plan was to travel to Albany in Upstate New York and meet with Deputy Chief Brian

Rousseau of the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to view and

discuss local USAR assets, training and the response in the State of New York. However due the

effects of Irene; flooding, landslides and subsequent evacuations in the region these visits did not

occur.

Brian was in charge of the New York State Fire Department response and was actively involved in the

coordination of rescue assets and response in the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). It was

amazing to see the EOC in operation, as I had visited the MDFR EOC facility earlier in my Fellowship.

The communication required between federal agencies in these types of incidents can only be

facilitated in this type of environment; due to the dynamic nature of the incident.

Brian explained the role of the Incident Support Team (a small team of specialised individuals) and

how they can feed back up to date information to allow the appropriate resources to be tasked

where they are needed. Good communication is paramount at incidents like these, especially from

the affected communities themselves (which links to CERT training as it aims to provide a structured

response throughout the US for this kind of information gathering). Communities that are not able

to communicate post incident are potentially the ones in need of most assistance.

11

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_Storm_Irene 12

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=51899

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FIGURE 17 BRIAN ROUSSEAU DETAILING THE EXTENT OF THE FLOODING POST TROPICAL STORM IRENE.

I was able to get out into the field and witness first-hand the scale of the flooding. I was present at

residential evacuations, probably similar situations to events that have occurred in the UK. It was an

interesting experience due to the number of different agencies that can be involved at a water

related incident in the US, giving me an appreciation of the command and control function in the UK

at these types of incidents, knowing who is categorically in charge.

FIGURE 18 THE FLOODING OF A LOCAL GAS STATION AND RESIDENTIAL EVACUATIONS IN UPSTATE NEW YORK.

Brian managed to briefly show me NY-TF2’s base and he explained his role and his personal

experiences from September 11th and the subsequent rescue and recovery efforts at the World

Trade Centre. It was a fantastic and humbling experience to listen to Brian and his family’s

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recollections of those events, an event I witnessed on the TV, but to have a personal connection to

that event is something I can now relate to, if not comprehend.

The flooding was expected to peak the following day so plans were made for me to return to New

York City. As part of the incident response, Brian had requested the assistance of the FDNY and their

water rescue teams from Special Operations Command (SOC) led by Chief Joe Downey, resulting in

the cancellation of most of my planned itinerary with the FDNY. However both Brian and Dave

Downey (MDFR) managed to ask a few favours and allow me to at least experience the FDNY and be

able to participate in the Remembrance of 9/11.

NEW YORK CITY

RIDE ALONG WITH FDNY RESCUE 1

In the US, specialist rescue units within fire departments are not a new concept, as they have played

an integral role in professional fire departments for nearly 100 years. On the 8th of March 1915,

FDNY Rescue Company 1 was officially placed into service, becoming not only the FDNY’s first heavy

rescue unit, but the first in the US. The members of Rescue 1 (which falls under the command of the

FDNY’s Special Operations Command) are fire-fighters but they are capable of operating at building

collapses, rigging, shoring, confined space operations, elevator rescues, subway and train incidents,

automobile accidents, SCUBA incidents and they are High Angle Rope Technician certified.

FIGURE 19 LEFT TO RIGHT- FDNY RESCUE 1 CREW ON THE WAY TO A CALL, A TYPICAL VIEW LOOKING OUT FROM RESCUE 1 DRIVING

AROUND MANHATTAN, THE CREW OF FDNY RESCUE 1: LT. TOM DONNELLY, ME, FRANK, JAMIE, BRIAN AND SEAN.

My ride along with Rescue 1 occurred during the day tour on the 9th September 2011 and I was

immediately made to feel welcome at the fire house with a cup of coffee and a group chat around

the table.

The crew of Rescue 1, in between calls, took the time out of their day to talk to me about their role

within the FDNY, specialist training they undertake and various incidents that they have attended

historically and recently. We shared training techniques for various incidents and the differences

between the FDNY and the UK Fire and Rescue Services. The members of Rescue 1 were very

professional and extremely devoted to their role, and it is easy to see why they are regarded as

highly as they are; this stems not only from good training but actual exposure to real incidents.

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This day was one of the many highlights of my whole Fellowship and I was invited by Frank to attend

their private memorial and breakfast on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11.

9/11

In the run up to the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, I was aware of how much media interest and attention

was directed towards the events of that day in 2001. FDNY Rescue 1 was one of the most decimated

units during the September 11th attacks at the World Trade Centre, losing nearly half of its company

(11 members) as they responded to the North Tower in 2001. During my ride along with Rescue 1,

two days before, I witnessed numerous visitors, both volunteer and career US fire-fighters turning

up at Rescue 1’s firehouse just to visit Rescue 1. This combined with all the media attention made

me realise that the fire-fighters that worked through and witnessed those events need their own

time and space to reflect and deal with what happened, however it feels like they are permanently

reminded of those events, especially from the media. It is difficult for those that lost close colleagues

and friends, and to be honest, a situation I cannot imagine.

The crew of Rescue 1 assured me that my intentions were sound and they appreciated my

Fellowship and the fact I wanted to pay my professional respects for 9/11.

FIGURE 20 CHIEF JIM YAKIMOVICH RECOUNTING HIS EXPERIENCES FROM 9/11 AND HIS SURVIVAL DURING THE COLLAPSE OF THE

TOWERS AT THE TRADE CENTRE AND THE RESCUE 1 RIG AMONGST THE DEBRIS OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTRE13.

On the morning of 9/11 I met up with Chief Dave Downey who had travelled up from Miami to visit

friends who were also invited to the memorial service at Rescue 1’s firehouse. It was good to see

Dave again as he had supported me throughout my Fellowship and had helped to facilitate many

elements of my Fellowship that had required changing at short notice. I also met up with Larry

Collins from LA Co FD who I had briefly met in LA. This just shows how close the rescue world of the

fire department actually is.

Family members, FDNY fire-fighters, retired fire-fighters and rescue workers that had been involved

in the rescue and recovery efforts were present. I was greeted as a friend by the fire-fighters I had

ridden with and asked questions about my Fellowship and my role in the UK from members of the

FDNY. The most memorable part of the morning was hearing Chief Yakimovich recount his story of

how he ended up at the Trade Centre and of the events when the Towers collapsed, how his eyes

were caked in dust and bleeding and how he had to scrape dust and debris from the inside of his

13

http://www.swindonlink.com/news/looking-back-at-new-york-911

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mouth just to be able to breathe. Even though I had seen the footage I still have no comprehension

of the scale of the event and what the fire-fighters went through. It was an honour to be there.

FIGURE 21 FDNY CHIEF JIM YAKIMOVICH, UK FIRE-FIGHTER IAN NUTTALL, FDNY RESCUE 1 FIRE-FIGHTER BRIAN HAGAN, FRANK FRAONE

OF MENLO PARK FIRE DEPT. AND CA-TF3, MIAMI-DADE FIRE RESCUE ASSISTANT CHIEF DAVE DOWNEY.

After attending the Memorial Service I made my way down town to the Salvation Army Centre to

meet a Fellow Churchill recipient, Claire Whatley, a Contingency Planning Officer for the City of

London Corporation. She was awarded her fellowship to research the long-term recovery of the USA

throughout the run up, during and following on to the ten year anniversary of the terror attacks on

9/11. Claire had volunteered to work with the Salvation Army to help members of the public and

first responders that needed emotional support during the memorial.

The Salvation Army provides this response to major disasters, and it is good as a rescuer to know

that there are people who are willing to help us during these emotional and stressful times.

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FAIRFAX COUNTY FIRE AND RESCUE DEPARTMENT: The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department was established in 1949. It is a combination career

and volunteer organisation providing fire suppression, emergency medical, technical rescue, fire

prevention and educational services to more than one million citizens. Fairfax County encompasses

395 square miles of urban and suburban development, 10 miles west of Washington, D.C.14

Battalion Chief Robert (Bob) J. Zoldos II arranged my visits within the Virginia and Washington D.C.

areas. Spending time with Bob talking and learning from his personal experiences was a great

personal benefit, as was my time spent with Dave in Miami, Derrick in LA and Brian in NY State. Bob

is a Task Force Team Leader with Virginia Task Force 1 and was deployed to Japan (2011), Haiti

(2010) and the Pentagon (2001) amongst many other incidents.

VA-TF1

Established in 1986 as a domestic and international disaster response resource, sponsored by the

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, Virginia Task Force 1 is staffed by approximately 200

specially trained career and volunteer fire and rescue personnel, with expertise in the rescue of

victims from collapsed structures, following a natural or man-made catastrophic event. The team is

comprised of emergency managers and planners, physicians and paramedics and includes specialists

in the fields of structural engineering, heavy rigging, collapse rescue, logistics, hazardous materials,

communications, canine and technical search15.

Virginia Task Force 1 has partnerships with the Department of Homeland Security/Federal

Emergency Management Agency for domestic response and the United States Agency for

International Development/Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance during international missions.

As a part of the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department, the task force maintains constant

operational readiness as a local resource for residents of Fairfax County and surrounding

jurisdictions.

TECHNICAL RESCUE OPERATIONS TEAM

The Technical Rescue Operations Team (TROT) members, in addition to their regular duties as fire-

fighters, receive intensive training and provide expertise for rescues which present a high degree of

risk to the rescuer with a low probability of victim survival (Appendix 1). This includes high angle (tall

building, etc.), below grade (cliffs, trenches, etc.), and confined space (structural collapse, tanks,

pipes, etc.) incidents. The team responds to all technical rescue incidents that occur within the

county as well as mutual aid incidents to other jurisdictions.

Specialised equipment is strategically located throughout the county at three stations (Station 14

Burke, Station 18 Jefferson and Station 21 Fair Oaks). Primary response vehicles are heavy rescue

squads specially equipped with an assortment of tools and appliances specifically designed for

technical rescue incidents. In addition, a technical rescue support unit (TRSU) is assigned to Station

18, while trailers equipped with extra shoring materials, stabilising jacks and heavy timbers are

assigned to Stations 14 and 21.

14

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fr/ 15

http://www.vatf1.org/

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FIGURE 22 WOODEN CRIBBING USED IN VEHICLE STABILISATION AND STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE WITH ADDED CARRY HANDLES. THIS

MAKES IT SAFER AND EASIER TO TRANSPORT WHILST AT AN INCIDENT (VIRGINIA TROT-LEFT AND WASHINGTON DC RESCUE 1-RIGHT).

My visits with both Fairfax TROT and VA-TF1 personnel reinforced all the learning points throughout

my Fellowship, regarding both specialist rescue teams and the USAR response both locally and

internationally. The US has some very well trained and organised teams with support from the

highest levels of the organisation, they also have extensive operational experience which has had an

impact on their training.

The training facilities that the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department have available, at Lorton a

disused youth detention centre, to them are excellent and I was shown around these facilities by

FEMA USAR Operations Division Branch Chief Fred Endrikat and Dean Scott (US&R Branch Response

Division). Between them they have a wealth of experience, Fred was with the Philadelphia Fire

Department (for over 30 years), in charge of their Rescue and he was in charge of Urban Search and

Rescue operations at the World Trade Centre, Hurricane Katrina and the Haitian Earthquake. At this

early stage within my career to have the opportunity to spend time, both professionally and on a

personal level, with them was unbelievable. I personally learnt a lot from Fred, how important

passion and drive are in this field and the importance of a well-trained and close knit team, not just

locally but at the national level.

Lorton holds an annual training exercise for the Capital region called Capital Shield. Exercise Capital

Shield 12 is designed to test and evaluate joint operations, techniques, procedures, and command

and control relationships and enhance interoperability among Department of Defence and

interagency partners. The goal of the exercise is to ensure that government agencies at every level

are prepared to take coordinated action to protect the public in the event of an actual emergency in

the case of either natural or man-made disasters inside the National Capital Region16. I met with

different participants of Capital Shield from the past few exercises including Fairfax County Fire and

Rescue Department, the US Army’s 911th Technical Rescue Unit and the United States Marine Corps.

CBIRF Unit.

16

http://www.army.mil/article/67698/_Capital_Shield__prepares_agencies_for_emergencies_in_NCR/

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USARMY 911TH TECHNICAL RESCUE UNIT

The 911th Engineer Company was originally activated in July 1989 at Ft. Belvoir, as the Military

District of Washington Engineer Company (MDWEC). The company was modelled after a FEMA

Urban Search and Rescue Heavy Task Force and its mission is unique among engineer units within

the United States Army.

On Sept. 11th, 2001, the unit was called upon after terrorists crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into

the west side of the Pentagon killing 184 people. For 10 days the company was engaged in rescue

and recovery operations, along first responding personnel including Bob Zoldos (VA-TF1).

In 2006, the company was re-designated as the 911th Technical Rescue Engineer Company in

commemoration for its efforts that day17.

FIGURE 23 BATTALION CHIEF ROBERT J. ZOLDOS II, 911TH COMPANY COMMANDER CAPTAIN L. TURNER AND MYSELF; IN FRONT OF A

UNIT BLACKHAWK HELICOPTER AFTER WATCHING LIFTING AND MOVING EXERCISES.

I was shown around company base by the Unit Commander Captain Turner and inspected the

different rescue equipment that the unit has. It was strange to see a military unit and soldiers in

uniform with a fire truck full of rescue equipment that I had witnessed in all the locations I had been

in my Fellowship as well as the equipment at home in the UK. As the unit is modelled on a FEMA

team, the skills and techniques that are used are the same, allowing greater cooperation at both

training scenarios with first responders; as well as actual incidents.

17

http://www.army.mil/article/45070/

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The main difference between the 911th and a FEMA USAR team for example FL-TF1, CA-TF2 and VA-

TF1, besides being a military unit, is the constant rotation of personnel. On average personnel are

attached to the company for 2 to 3 years, so by the time individuals have completed training and

gained practical experience through training scenarios they may then be rotated out. This leads to

lack of operational experience and continuity within the unit, a benefit of the FEMA and Fire

Department USAR teams because lessons learnt can be passed on to other team members or utilised

themselves at a different incident. Captain Turner tried to overcome this lack of operational

experience and high turnover of personnel (compared to the fire departments) by the use of realistic

and structured training.

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS. CHEMICAL BIOLOGICAL INCIDENT RESPONSE FORCE

The United States Marine Corps. Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (USMC CBIRF) mission

statement is:

‘ When directed, forward-deploy

and/or respond to a credible

threat of a Chemical, Biological,

Radiological, Nuclear, or High

Yield explosive (CBRNE) incident in

order to assist local, state, or

federal agencies and Unified

Combat Commanders in the

conduct of consequence

management operations. CBIRF

accomplishes this mission by

providing capabilities for agent

detection and identification;

casualty search, rescue, and

personnel decontamination; and

emergency medical care and stabilization of contaminated personnel’18.

Captain James Arramith briefed me on the role and capabilities of CBIRF and explained that they

have trained with the FDNY since July 2000; when Deputy Chief Raymond M. Downey, of FDNY’s

Special Operations Command, helped CBIRF develop their technical rescue program before he later

died on September 11th. Chief Downey was a decorated fire-fighter and a veteran of the United

States Marine Corps and the Marines renamed their training facility the Raymond M. Downey Sr.

Responder Training Facility. A tour of the facility demonstrated that the Marine training staff had

learnt from the fire department and were using the same realistic and contextual training that

occurred within the experienced teams I had visited.

Today, Marines from aircraft rescue and fire-fighting occupational fields come to CBIRF to acquire

additional skill sets and because of the relationship developed with the FDNY, the Marines from this

occupational field become proficient in confined-space, collapsed-structure, vehicle-extrication, rope

18

http://www.marines.mil/unit/cbirf/Pages/default.aspx

FIGURE 24 USMC CBIRF (FROM FOOTNOTE 17)

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and trench rescue.

DISASTER PSYCHOLOGY

Steve Willey is Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department Lead Instructor for the CERT programme.

Steve gave me a wealth of information on how the CERT teams are coordinated and the benefits of

having these teams in association with the fire department. He also explained the course structure

and differences between fire departments and how this affects the syllabus taught. But he also

touched upon disaster psychology.

Dealing with the stress of a disaster has significant effects on the human body and CERT students are

taught the signs and symptoms of stress and how to cope with this. The Instructors also discuss real

life experiences and how they dealt with the stress. But as for this type of specific training I have not

had any within the UK relating to Post Traumatic Stress, how to recognise or deal with it and it is

maybe a field that should be explored, especially be UK-ISAR team members.

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9/11 MEMORIAL VISIT

On the final day of my fellowship I was fortunate enough to attend a meeting with fellow Fellow

Claire Whatley to the 9/11 National Memorial to meet with Noah Rauch (Manager of Schools and

Family Programs), Alexandra Drakakis (Assistant Curator) and Jenny Pachucki (Oral Historian). The

9/11 Memorial was officially opened on September 11th 2011, and a service for the family members

of the victims was held.

The difficult task of organising and building a national memorial was explained to us, problems

encountered and how the oral historians gathered the information from as many people affected by

the events on the day as possible, a process which featured many of the rescue workers. One of the

most amazing stories I heard was of the ‘Survivor Tree’, a Callery Pear tree.

On 9/11, the falling towers crushed the tree’s branches, and the ensuing conflagration scorched its

stump. The charred remnants of the tree were unearthed weeks after the attacks and removed by

the Parks Department, who painstaking brought in back to life. It now resides at the National 9/11

Memorial with additional 412 Swamp White Oaks. In 2009 in was uprooted during a storm and 2011

watched as Hurricane Irene passed through Manhattan.

FIGURE 25 THE NAME OF FDNY CHIEF RAY DOWNEY ON THE NATIONAL MEMORIAL, THE SURVIVOR TREE AND CLAIRE, NOAH RAUCH

AND MYSELF.

The Memorial’s twin reflecting pools are each nearly an acre in size and feature the largest

manmade waterfalls in the North America. The pools sit within the footprints where the Twin

Towers once stood, the actual footprint marked by the first row of trees around the memorial pools.

The names of every person who died in the 2001 and 1993 attacks are inscribed into bronze panels

edging the Memorial pools, a powerful reminder of the largest loss of life resulting from a foreign

attack on American soil and the greatest single loss of rescue personnel in American history19.

I even met members of the USMC CBIRF at the memorial and watched them as they made a rubbing

of FDNY Chief Ray Downey’s name from the memorial; a man who was very influential in USAR and

has probably even influenced my role, and that of my colleagues in the UK. He was a friend to

people that I had met on my Fellowship and I was able to reflect on how 9/11 was such a

monumental event, bringing together communities and rescuers from all over the US. As a result the

USAR and Rescue community within the United States is very closely knit, but I believe this has

always been the case by the nature of the job they do and the natural events they respond to

including the time and effort that they put into training. I was proud to have been a small part of it.

19

http://www.911memorial.org/about-memorial

29 | P a g e

It was a poignant and fitting end to my Fellowship.

FIGURE 26 VIEW OF THE UNDERCONSTRUCTION FREEDOM TOWER FROM THE NATIONAL 9/11 MEMORIAL.

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LEARNING OUTCOMES

The overall experience of my Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship was fantastic, I was able

to meet fellow professional fire and rescue personnel who have witnessed some of the largest

modern natural and manmade disasters and the subsequent rescue attempts in history. Being able

to talk, spend time and learn from them was an experience that isn’t normally open to someone in

my position and limited experience within the fire and rescue service, a personal experience I will

not forget. I was also able to meet other teams and individuals that all train for and respond to these

types of events, from volunteer Community Emergency Response Teams to US Military Units.

My initial aim was to gain from peoples’ experiences that have attended large scale disasters. Having

personally witnessed the aftermath of the New Zealand earthquake and the capabilities of US teams,

I understand that the role of a rescuer in a large scale disaster or local small scale event involves very

similar skills; just the environment and context have shifted. As a rescuer myself I have also become

more aware of the overall logistics involved when a large scale event occurs, how important other

agencies and roles within your home organisation are; being a rescue team member is a small part

of the overall rescue effort.

I have broken my key salient points into 2 separate categories; personal and professional. These are

from my point of view; as a fire-fighter/USAR Technician, with the training and knowledge that I

have at this level, and are a snapshot of a small section of teams within a country which has an

extensive specialist rescue capability.

PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS

I have increased in my personal confidence regarding the skills I possess and the role I

perform within a very experienced and highly skilled rescue team. The challenge of

undertaking a Fellowship and meeting people who are extremely skilled, experienced and

even world renowned in this field was a privilege. I witnessed very similar training and

application of skills throughout the teams I visited. Even though some of the incidents they

have attended seem daunting as a rescuer, we have to break tasks down into component

parts and be systematic; relying on the tools and knowledge we have, along with prior

exposure and the experience that brings to achieve the goal. It was affirmed to me that the

role of a specialist rescuer is the same in the UK as well as the US, we have the same

professional drive and ethos and the individuals I met were all a credit to their respective

departments. I know that if tasked with working with a US USAR team in the future I know it

will be a privilege to work alongside them.

Learning from practical experiences is a very difficult task because the experiences that an

individual has varies, even at the same incident. I believe my trip was somewhat limited, as

personal experiences are not documented and I only visited a small sample of rescue teams.

In the rescue world a lot of knowledge and skills are passed on from more experienced to

less experienced team members, (from both exposure to incidents and time spent training

for these incidents). It can be difficult to learn from these experiences if the information is

not shared in an open forum or kept within the confines of a small group, for example the 6

31 | P a g e

person rescue team or the group of team leaders. The US International teams and the local

Task Forces have excellent communication between Team Leaders and personnel as well as

a robust debriefing mechanism, including personal welfare, upon returning home.

My knowledge of other International USAR Teams has been expanded and the experience

has built up my own personal working and professional relationships, which I hope will

become of use in the future.

Witnessing the build up to Hurricane Irene whilst with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue I was aware

of the roles external agencies play in these type of events and how key communication

between different organisations is, for example the National Hurricane Centre, MDFR and

the Office of Emergency Management allows for the best possible response pre, during and

post event.

As a rescuer, when a large scale event has occurred (for example post Hurricane Irene in

New York State) you have to be patient, it always seems like you ‘hurry up and wait’ (which I

have personally experienced in the deployment to New Zealand). But I don’t think we

appreciate the overall task in hand or the logistics involved, we focus entirely on our specific

area and when we aren’t tasked straight away this can lead to frustration. This can be

alleviated by good communication from team leaders on a frequent basis, my own

awareness of the roles that managers’ play at incidents has improved, however

communication to members as well as a prior understanding of their role can also help to

reduce frustration.

Within US Fire Departments and Rescue Teams it appears that the whole organisation has a

greater awareness of the role specialists can play and the skill and dedication that a

specialist fire-fighter/rescuer brings to the team is also recognised.

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PROFESSIONAL OBSERVATIONS

TRENCH RESCUE

All the fire departments that I visited provided a specialist rescue team, whether heavy rescue or

USAR and the role they provided had 5 core elements:

Structural Collapse

Rope Rescue

Water Rescue

Trench Rescue

Confined Space Rescue

From my experience Trench Rescue is a skill still lacking from various Technical Rescue Teams in the

UK, but is an area that can be easily remedied.

Trench rescues are mainly thought of as infrequent industrial accidents, but the experience of US

fire-fighters in New York and Miami has shown that these types of incidents also occur with people

self-building in their own back yards, or with unregulated contractors cutting corners.

With specialist rescue teams already in place, for example Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Services’

Technical Rescue Team, the basic skills to perform safe and efficient trench rescues are already in

place. All that is needed is an increase in awareness and specific knowledge regarding trench

collapse, and subsequent rescues, so that personnel have the specific skills to recognise the hazards

and not become victims. This additional knowledge with some basic low cost equipment, such as 8x4

plywood sheets for ground pads and sheeting panels, would augment various specialist rescue

equipment already used for metal shoring in the USAR environment.

STRUCTURAL ASSESSMENT AND STRUCTURAL SPECIALISTS

After visiting and witnessing different rescue assets ranging from local fire department equipment

and training, regional and national Task Forces (FL-TF1, CA-TF2 and VA-TF1) to the three primary

teams that have responded internationally (with a proven track record in international search and

rescue operations involving large scale structural collapse - MDFR FL-TF1, USA-1 (VA-TF1) and USA-2

(CA-TF2)) it is apparent, not only from the experiences of the fire-fighters and team members, but

also the team leaders that one of the most important roles at any USAR collapse is the

structures/structural specialist.

The role of the structural specialist is to ‘make rescues safe for the rescuers’ (FEMA 2011) performing

various structural assessments for a USAR Task Force during incident operations. The structural

specialist reports directly to the Planning Team Manager, but will often be assigned to the Search

Team or Rescue Team Manager. The structural specialist may also be assigned other duties.

33 | P a g e

The structural specialist within a Task Force USAR team is responsible for:

Assessing the immediate structural

condition of the affected area of Task

Force operations, this structural triage

includes identifying structure types,

specific damage and structural hazards.

Recommending the appropriate type and

amount of structural hazard mitigation in

order to minimize risks on site to task force

personnel, for example shoring (see photo

right).

Advising on safe access and egress routes

on approach to collapsed or severely

collapsed structures.

Cooperating with and assisting other

search and rescue resources.

Monitoring assigned structures for

condition changes while rescue and

recovery operations are proceeding.

Assuming an active role in implementing

approved structural hazard mitigation as a

designer, inspector, and possibly a

supervisor.

Coordinating and communicating the

structural related hazard mitigation with

Incident Support Team Structural Unit

Leader.

Accountability, maintenance, and minor

repairs for all issued equipment.

Adhering to all safety procedures.

In addition to the basic USAR system requirements the Task Force structural specialist must:

Have completed the FEMA Structural Specialist Course, facilitated by the US Army Corps of

Engineers.

Be currently licenced as a Professional Engineer with specialization in structures or equivalent as

sanctioned by the FEMA US&R Structures Sub-Group.

Have a minimum of 5 years’ experience in structural design and analysis to include evaluation of

existing structures, field investigation or construction observation/inspection experience.

As a rescuer the immediate benefits of having a structural specialist embedded within the team are:

Allows safe working straight away with expert advice and guidance.

FIGURE 27 STRUCTURAL SHORING INSTIGATED BY THE STRUCTURES

SPECIALIST (CA-TF2) IN NEW ZEALAND. IT WAS QUITE A DISTANCE

BELOW THE SCENE OF OPERATIONS, BUT WITHOUT A SPECIALIST

WOULD THE STRUCTURAL WEAKNESS HAVE BEEN HIGHLIGHTED

OTHERWISE?

34 | P a g e

Structural specialist can implement improvised methods of monitoring secondary collapse if

local inspectors or assessors are not present, especially within a disaster environment, as

rescuers tend to become very task orientated and sometime lose awareness of the nature of

their surroundings.

Alleviates the pressure on local resources and can also augment local agencies with their skills

and knowledge.

FIGURE 28 US USAR TASK FORCE STRUCTURE WITH 70 PERSONNEL, NOTE THE HIGHLIGHTED STRUCTURES SPECIALISTS.

Within the UK structural specialists are not an integral part of local USAR teams or the UK-ISAR team,

and as a result there is a short fall in skills, knowledge and experience. USAR specialisms that

individual team members may possess are shoring and hot cutting. The initial courses are conducted

at the Fire Service College and individuals are taught the various kinds of shores and techniques of

construction or different hot cutting techniques. However there is a skills gap because the in-depth

knowledge regarding structural engineering is not present i.e. shores can be constructed efficiently

and safely by rescue personnel, but are the correct shores being used in the correct areas on

unstable structures with potentially numerous structural failings? Or are the potential effects of

removing various structural metal elements from the collapsed structure known?

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FIGURE 29 THE PENTAGON, 11TH SEPTEMBER 2001. DO UK USAR TRAINED PERSONNEL HAVE THE APPROPRIATE STRUCTURAL

KNOWLEDGE TO COMMENCE SEARCH AND RESCUE OR SHORING OPERATIONS AT SIMILAR INCIDENTS TO THIS?

Within the UK the specialist knowledge or equipment to monitor the situation in case of secondary

collapse, apart from visually, is generally not available upon arrival. This is more prevalent at

incidents at a local level (for example a vehicle into a building) or for first responding crews at larger

scale incidents; you are relying on an individual’s life skills or personal knowledge to initially stabilise

structures and make the scene safe until the arrival of a building inspector. This should not be the

case when you are classified as a specialist rescue team.

Embedded structural specialists may not be appropriate for all teams, but at a local level this can be

remedied by raising the level of knowledge of all team members through an appropriate course or

structured learning package geared towards USAR operations. In the same way an individual gains a

specialism, for example within a local USAR Team as a shoring or hot cutting specialist. Certain team

members could be developed further by undertaking a structural specialist role, this could run

parallel to the role of a Team Medic or Canine Handler for example, as they commit to on-going

training throughout the year taking part in continuation training and courses, exercises and personal

development in addition to their normal role.

SIMPLE METHODS FOR MONITORING SECONDARY COLLAPSE

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to the Haitian Earthquake in January 2010, they rescued 11

individuals during this time. The following images are from the rescue of 2 children that they could

hear from within a collapsed structure. Rescue work was initially undertaken without the aid of

initial shoring (as it was unavailable) because the structural specialist created a simple visual method

for monitoring for any structural movement and possible secondary collapse:

The area to be monitored was highlighted with orange spray paint.

2 fixed points were determined and then the distance between was measured and recorded.

36 | P a g e

Strips of tape were also used for a quick visual aid and any signs of tearing indicated possible

deterioration and secondary collapse.

Not only is this method useful in an international large scale structural collapse scenario where

resources are limited, but also at a local level by first responding crews as an initial gauge of the

structures stability whilst waiting for the arrival of building inspector or USAR team.

FIGURE 30 AN IMPROVISED METHOD FOR MONITORING SLIGHT CHANGES IN THE STRUCTURAL STABILITY OF A PARTIALLY COLLAPSED

STRUCTURE (COURTSY OF DAVE DOWNEY AND LOUIE FERNANDEZ).

CONTEXTUAL AND REALISTIC TRAINING

Initial USAR training in the UK is excellent and this is conducted centrally at the Fire Service College;

this includes basic USAR training and the delivery of specialist USAR skills. However once the initial

training has been conducted, continuation and development training then varies for those trained

individuals; depending on the facilities and budgets of the home Fire and Rescue Service.

Routine operation of the equipment in a fire station or sterile environment allows familiarity with

the equipment and individuals can become confident in the basic operation and to some extent the

limitations of the equipment. However training needs to be realistic and contextual, to prepare the

team and individuals for the potential problems and difficulties faced at real incidents. But this style

of training also needs to be regular, because lots of the skills involved and associated with specialist

rescue are perishable requiring certain amounts of reinforcement. Large scale disasters are a

relatively rare event, but in order to provide a safe and efficient rescue facility; intensive, regular,

realistic and contextual training is required.

On return from the Haitian Earthquake in 2010 VA-TF1 personnel remarked to the Team Leader on

how their training had specifically prepared them for the working conditions they would face and

how realistic this was, allowing them to work more efficiently and anticipate problems in advance.

This feedback was received by both new and experienced team members; they specifically

commented on the training scenarios which involved breaching and breaking through concrete and

subsequent navigation through mattresses/household appliances, how similar it was to the real

disaster situation and how prepared they had actually been because of this training. This was a

37 | P a g e

training scenario I also witnessed with the New York State Fire Department and United States

Marine Corps. CBIRF Unit.

FIGURE 31 CONTEXTUAL TRAINING PROPS IN A LIMITED SPACE ENVIRONMENT (LEFT) AND FRED ENDRIKAT, FEMA BRANCH CHIEF, USAR

OPERATIONS DIVISION IN FRONT OF A VERTICAL ACCESS COLLAPSED STRUCTURE TRAINING RIG. FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA.

The 911th section of the US Army trains to respond to USAR/Technical Rescue incidents; however

they are restricted to a federal response and their most recent operational incident was the

September 11th attack on the Pentagon in 2001. The members of the unit train with the same

equipment and in the same techniques as their fire department counterparts. In order to keep up

team morale when there is very little operational exposure the Unit Leader insists that ‘realistic

training is key’. A theme confirmed by VA-TF1’s Bob Zoldos, NY-TF2’s Brain Rousseau and FL-TF1’s

Dave Downey who both state that ‘training needs to be realistic and contextual’ to develop both

existing and new skills.

In the UK the UK-ISAR team conducts an annual exercise involving all member Fire and Rescue

Services. However USAR teams at local levels that do not have the USAR specific training facilities

would benefit from all team members attending realistic and contextual training sessions

throughout the year and an annual prolonged training event. This would allow team members to

experience working within a realistic USAR environment gaining experience through exposure.

38 | P a g e

INTERAGENCY TRAINING AND DISASTER VICTIM IDENTIFICATION

Members of specialist rescue teams should be undertaking more interagency training in the UK, both

at a local level and on a larger scale. The benefits of this type of training was evident from both

USMC CBIRF who have fostered links with the FDNY and the US ARMY 911th Technical Rescue Unit

which trains with local first responders and is involved in the annual Capital Shield Exercise where

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department host an exercise that incorporates civilian CERT

members, fire-fighters, USAR personnel and specialist military units.

However in the UK this can be achieved on a local level for example USAR Teams training alongside

specialist Police and Ambulance teams. It would increase awareness of what the other teams’

capabilities are, as well as building a professional working relationship to improve communication at

real incidents, which during a large scale event can be a huge problem, as demonstrated by 9/11 and

7/7 in the US and UK.

During a large scale event

the rescuers may also be

required to work under the

supervision of the local

police procedures regarding

Disaster Victim

Identification (DVI) when

the search moves from the

rescue to the recovery

phase or if live casualties

and deceased victims are in

the same locality. A process

that I was involved with as

part of the UK-ISAR team in

New Zealand, 2011; when

the UK team recovered 13

victims from the PGC

building in Christchurch.

Team members worked

professionally with the NZ

Police DVI officers as

appropriate. It would be

beneficial for USAR/UK-ISAR

personnel to have Disaster

Victim Identification input and training

from a relevant Police force, as occurs

in the various US Task Forces, due to

the inclusion of law enforcement

personnel in Task Forces.

FIGURE 32 UK-ISAR TEAM MEMBERS WORKED ALONGSIDE NZ AND AUSTRAILIAN

DVI OFFICERS DURING THE RECOVERY EFFORTS IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE 2011

EARTHQUAKE

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There are Churchill Fellowship recipients that have undertaken Fellowships studying DVI in other

countries. Inspector Kirsty Jennet with Merseyside Police, who is also a member of the Merseyside

DVI team, was also awarded a Fellowship in 2011 to study the lessons learned in the field of Disaster

Victim Recovery (DVI) after bushfires tragically killed 173 people and destroyed over 3000 homes in

Victoria, Australia on 9th February 2009. Kirtsy hopes to be able to educate and inform other

professionals about the role of DVI teams and the part they play in large scale events.

BASIC USAR SKILLS FOR FIRE-FIGHTERS

Following a major disaster, emergency services may not be able to meet all of the demands for

services required. Factors such as number of victims, communication failures, and road blockages

can both overwhelm emergency services or prevent those reaching affected areas. Under these

circumstances, people will spontaneously try to help each other and 80% of rescues at USAR

incidents are conducted by civilians and first responding crews20.

In the US, Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) helps to alleviate pressure on fire

departments during the aftermath of an event which has the potential to cause large scale structural

collapse, e.g. hurricanes and earthquakes. As a result the FEMA Community Emergency Response

Team programs helps train and educate people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may

impact their area so they are better prepared to respond to emergency situations. When

emergencies occur, CERT members can give critical support to first responders, provide immediate

assistance to victims, and organise spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site.

FIGURE 33 CERT LOGOS (LEFT TO RIGHT) FROM LA COUNTY, MIAMI-DADE AND SAN FRANCISCO

The CERT training program is a basic 20-hour course, with training sessions covering disaster

preparedness, disaster fire suppression, basic disaster medical operations, light search and rescue,

and team operations. The training also includes a disaster simulation in which participants practice

skills that they learned throughout the course. The CERT course is taught in the community by a

trained team of first responders21.

Whilst the UK does not have the same threat from natural hazards as the US in terms of potential

large scale events that would warrant community involvement, at any structural collapse first

responding fire-fighters will be present, generally before specialist teams. Fire-fighters in LA County

and Fairfax Fire Departments undergo training in basic lifting and moving (a core USAR skill) with the

LA County fire-fighters actively involved in an annual simulated large scale no notice event putting

these skills into practise. In Miami-Dade Fire Rescue in additional the Technical Rescue Team there is

20

Fire Service College USAR Technician Course notes 21

Steve Willey Virginia CERT Lead Instructor

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an additional 350 fire-fighters (approx.) trained for USAR. This means there is a greater awareness of

not only the USAR related hazards but also the skills required to undertake these initial rescues using

limited equipment.

FIGURE 34 CERT CANDIDATES UNDERGOING AWARENESS TRAINING IN LIGHT SEARCH AND RESCUE TECHIQUES (LEFT) FAIRFAX COUNTY

FIRE-FIGHTERS TRAINING IN A USAR BASIC SKILL, LIFTING AND MOVING

In the UK first responding emergency crews have generally very little awareness of USAR incidents

let alone safe lifting and moving techniques, initial search procedures or USAR specific hazard

awareness compared to US fire-fighters or CERT members. The knowledge they generally possess is

the major signs and symptoms of building collapse and an awareness of USAR teams. Locally this can

be resolved by determined what knowledge existing fire-fighting crews have of USAR incidents and

identifying any training needs that can be addressed.

LEADERSHIP AND INTEGRATION

All of the various

rescue teams and

professionals I met

with during my

Fellowship were all

highly driven and

motivated and it

was clear that they

all had a passion for

the work that they

undertook on a daily

basis. This was

clearly supported

from the whole

organisation and can

be demonstrated

with Miami-Dade Fire

Rescue Assistant

Chief, Dave Downey.

FIGURE 35 DAVE DOWNEY (LEFT-AS FL-TF1 TEAM LEADER, HAITI 2010) HAS AN EXCELLENT

RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS FIRE-FIGHTERS AND TASK FORCE MEMBERS. DAVE HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN

USAR BOTH LOCALLY, NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY FOR MANY YEARS. CAPTAIN JEFF

STRICKLAND (MDFR TRT) IS ALSO SHOWN (RIGHT CENTRE). IMAGE FROM LOUIE FERNANDEZ.

41 | P a g e

Dave is also Team Leader with FL-TF1 and he is the National Task Force Leaders Representative for

the National US&R Response System for FEMA. His knowledge and professionalism cascades down

throughout the whole organisation, to Chief Alan Perry in charge of MDFR USAR, Captain Jeff

Strickland in charge of the Technical Rescue Team (TRT) and as a consequence to all of the members

of FL-TF1 and all trained TRT operatives. Chief Downey, although the Assistant Chief of a large fire

department, he is actively involved in training and I witnessed that both passion and drive he exuded

was encouraged in all team members from the ground up. He leads by example and as a result there

is no enthusiasm ceiling within the department and the members of the task force and the TRT had

respect and admiration for the senior management that took this approach, which has a hugely

positive effect on morale.

This level of support I witnessed was not restricted solely to Miami but was echoed in LA County Fire

Department USAR and CA-TF2 with Captain Derrick Chapman, Fairfax Fire and Rescue with Chief

Robert J. Zoldos II, New York State Fire Department and NY-TF2 with Deputy Chief of the Special

Services Bureau Brian Rousseau and the FDNY with the personnel at Rescue 1 and Special

Operations Command. It is not just driven from the ground level up.

FIGURE 36 FDNY RESCUE 1 OUTSIDE THE FIREHOUSE

In the US, specialist rescue units with fire departments are not a new concept, as they have played

an integral role in professional fire departments for nearly 100 years. On the 8th of March 1915 FDNY

Rescue Company 1 was officially placed into service, becoming not only the FDNY’s first heavy rescue

unit, but the first in the United States. The members of Rescue 1 (which falls under the command of

the FDNY’s Special Operations Command) are fire-fighters but they are capable of operating at

building collapses, rigging, shoring, confined space operations, elevator rescues, subway and train

incidents, automobile accidents, SCUBA incidents and they are High Angle Rope Technician certified.

42 | P a g e

As a result of the history and tradition of specialist rescue teams within the US, the senior

management within these fire departments have a greater awareness of both the function and role

of specialist rescue teams; because they have had operational experience of these teams. As

specialist rescue within the UK is a relatively new concept this level of understanding is not always

present.

Rescue 1 and the four other rescue companies of the FDNY are an integral part of the overall rescue

effort at an incident, they are there to augment the fire-fighter skills and equipment that are already

in use. They are not viewed as a separate entity within the department, but as part of the team,

highly trained and dedicated fire-fighters which have additional equipment, and also specialist

training, skills and knowledge. Something that is not always recognised by members of UK Fire and

Rescue Services about specialist teams within their own organisation.

SUMMARY OF SALIENT POINTS

Contextual and realistic training is paramount when training for incidents that occur with

low frequency and there is limited operational exposure.

Specialist rescue team members require additional knowledge and training not only allowing

them to have an enhanced skills set but also facilitates increased safety and efficiency of

work. However there is a need for specialists; for example enhanced structural awareness

and Disaster Victim Identification knowledge. I have since learnt upon my return that these

two elements are being explored in further detail by various UK Fire and Rescue Services,

National Resilience Assurance Team (NRAT) and UK-DVI.

Never underestimate the use of simple methods of work or tools to achieve the task. In a

disaster all the equipment that a team may need to use may not be available, the ability to

adapt and utilise the existing experience within the team is paramount.

The importance of good communication between senior managers/team leaders and the

rest of the team should not be ignored as this has a direct impact on moral.

Members of both UK and US rescue teams are all highly professional individuals willing to

learn and take on additional skills and responsibilities; in order to respond to various

disasters that occur throughout the world.

The exposure and experience that the US teams have collectively is huge, however strip this

back to individual teams and their members and the skills that are present are indicative of

those within the UK. The main differences however are greater integration of specialist

rescue teams within fire departments, support from senior management and more

contextual and realistic training environments due to differences in budgets.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Rose and Ashleigh, thank you so much for your support and encouragement throughout the whole

journey; my application, planning and during the 5 long weeks I was away from home during my

Fellowship. I couldn’t have done this without you!

The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust for believing in my idea and giving me this fantastic

opportunity and Julia Weston and Sue Matthews from the Trust for answering all the random

questions I had.

Jeff ‘Cess’ Poole for making me aware of the Fellowships and giving me that initial inspiration, Neil

Mayne and Chris Bilby for supporting my application, Ian Holden for providing a reference, Kate Clay

for assisting with gifts and senior management within Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service for

allowing me to pursue a Fellowship.

Pete Crook (UK-ISAR Coordinator) for giving me both encouragement and support.

Dewey Perks (USAID) for making all of this possible, from a brief conversation in Christchurch to

forwarding me all the contacts that I needed and arranging a plausible and coherent itinerary, I

cannot thank you enough.

Dave ‘The Godfather’ Downey for being the Godfather. Arranging not only a brilliant week in South

Florida with MDFR, letting me stay in your home (thanks to Julie and Chiefy too!) but for helping me

whilst I was on my Fellowship, because of your efforts I achieved more than I expected. I learnt a lot

from you and to be in NYC on 9/11 with you was an experience I’ll not forget. Thank you.

Also from my visit to MDFR: Jeff Strickland, Bill Licea, Louie Fernandez, Vincent Lombardi, Mike

Parker and the crew of Fireboat 1, Susie Oatmeyer and the crew of Air Operations, Mark Lamb, Bill

Gustin, Scott Mullin (K9), Gregory Strickland (K9), PJ Parker (K9), Robert Palestrant, Jonathon Lord

(Department of Emergency Management), Gilbert Yap (MDPD), Robert Molleda (National Hurricane

Centre)

Derrick Chapman thank you for all the driving around you did and for arranging my visits, it was a

pleasure, even though you do drink cold tea!

Also from my visit to LA Co FD: the members of Task Force 103 (a tour of duty I’ll not forget in a long

time, thank you for making me feel at home), Stephen Davis, Larry Collins, Brian Kross, the crews of

both the Fire Boat at Marina Del Ray and at Air Operations.

Mindy Talmadge for scheduling my visits in San Francisco; Lt. Erica Arteseros and fire-fighter

Mariano Elias.

Brian Rousseau, I wish I would have had more time in Upstate New York, maybe next time, but I

think you were about the busiest man on the planet when I visited! Thank you to your family and Bill

for taking care of me too.

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The crew of FDNY Rescue 1; Tom, Al, Frank, Jamie, Sean and Brian for letting me ride with you guys

at such short notice, I’m sure it will be a highlight of my career! Thank you for the coffee, pastrami

sandwich and making me feel extremely welcome. Also to Jim Yakimovich and everyone I was

fortunate enough to meet on September 11th and from the 9/11 Memorial Noah Rauch, Alexandra

Drakakis and Jenny Pachucki, the tea was just what we needed!

My friends on Long Island, it really is your turn next time! Thank you for allowing me into your

homes and making sure I felt as if I was at home. Thank you: Paul, Georgette, Heather, Paul, Uncle

Jimmy, Tina, Uncle Louis, Cullen, Rich and Taylor.

The man with the best name ever; Robert J Zoldos II, the visits you arranged were both awesome

and perfect, thank you for putting yourself out for me. I really appreciated all that you did and I’ll

make you a proper brew someday.

Also from my visit to Fairfax Fire and Rescue Department thank you to the members of TROT, VA-TF1

and Michael Reilly.

To the units of the USMC CBIRF and US ARMY 911th and the officers who allowed me to visit, Captain

Arrasmith (USMC) and Captain Turner (US ARMY) thank you, to be able to gain a totally different

perspective and insight to your roles and professionalism was a privilege.

Fred Endrikat and Dean Scott from FEMA; Fred, the stories you have are amazing, and if I can

achieve a small part of what you have done I’ll be a privileged man! Prost!, as we said with Gordon

Birsch. Dean, to be collected and bundled into a blacked out Government Suburban was quite a

surprising and surreal, thank you.

Present Fellows - Claire Whatley for putting up with me in New York City’s Westside and Kirsty

Jennett for her words of encouragement; both on and after interview day.

Past Fellows - Both Jenny Truelove and Gary Cross; for your assistance and guidance during the

application and planning stages of my Fellowship.

Last but not least Bill Batson MBE for writing what must have been a good reference to allow me to

be accepted by the Trust thanks Bill.

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APPENDICES

The following appendices give more detailed information on the following subjects. Hopefully giving

the reader more knowledge and context for information contained within the main body of the

Fellowship Report.

1. Technical Rescue within the US

LFRS Technical Rescue Team

2. What is Urban Search and Rescue?

3. What is UK ISAR?

4. Leicestershire’s ISAR History

5. Overview of USAR in the United States

6. Local Newspaper Report 13th September 2011

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APPENDIX 1

TECHNICAL RESCUE WITHIN THE US

In the United States the National Fire Protection’s Standard on Operations and Training for Technical

Search and Rescue Incidents (NFPA 1670) describes technical rescue as ‘the application of special

knowledge, skills and equipment to resolve unique and/or complex rescue situations’ and include:

Structural collapse

Rope rescue

Confined space rescue

Vehicle and machinery rescue

Water rescue

Trench and excavation rescue

wilderness rescue

All of these have the very high potential for death or serious injury to the victim, or an unprepared

rescuer, or both, due to the environment they are performed in as well as many of the methods,

tools and techniques that are necessary to perform the work that makes up the rescue effort22

LFRS TECHNICAL RESCUE TEAM

Leicestershire's

Technical Rescue Team

became operational in

January 2005 as a result

of both the Fire and

Rescue Service Act

(2004) and the Civil

Contingencies Act (2004)

calling for a change of

the Fire and Rescue

Services role. The Fire

and Rescue Service Act

(2004) introduced

‘rescue’ from Road

Traffic Collisions (RTC’s),

structural collapse and

water as ‘core business’,

whilst the Civil

Contingencies Act (2004)

called for the ‘planning,

22

John Norman, 2009. Fire Department Special Operations. Fire Engineering. Penwell Books. Printed in the United States

FIGURE 37 LEICESTERSHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE USAR TEAM TRAINING IN CONFINED SPACE. FIGURE 38 WATCH MANAGER NEIL MAYNE OF LFRS TECHNICAL RESCUE TEAM ENGAGED IN CASUALTY

MANAGEMENT TRAINING

47 | P a g e

training and equipping’ of the Fire and Rescue Service to attend and deal with major incidents such

as terrorist attacks within the U.K.

With the formation of Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Services’ Technical Rescue Team these ‘core

duties’; major incident response readiness and existing specialist rescue skills (including Rope Rescue

and Urban Search and Rescue – USAR) were incorporated into one role. This allowed for a specialist

skill base more appropriate for the rescue situations that could potentially occur.

As a result the Technical Rescue Team respond to the following incident types within Leicestershire,

the East Midlands region and also Nationally (as part of the national resilience in responding to an

Urban Search and Rescue Incident):

Confined space rescues.

Heavy transport rescue, including: LGV’s, plant/heavy machinery, trains, aircraft.

Large animal rescues.

Road traffic collisions and vehicle extrication.

Rope rescue.

Trench rescue.

Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) incidents.

Water rescue, including: still, swift and flood water.

FIGURE 39 FIRE-FIGHTERS ROGER HAWES AND CARL DOUGHTON OF LFRS

PRACTISING BASIC USAR TOOL OPERATION

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APPENDIX 2

WHAT IS URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE?

Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) is a specialised technical rescue capability for the location and

rescue of entrapped people following a structural collapse. USAR is considered a "multi-hazard"

discipline, as it may be needed for a variety of emergencies or disasters, including earthquakes,

hurricanes, typhoons, storms and tornadoes, floods, dam failures, technological accidents, terrorist

activities, and hazardous materials releases (FEMA 2011). The events may be localised or widespread

depending on the cause and slow developing, as in the case of hurricanes, or sudden, as in the case

of earthquakes. Even though in the UK structural collapse events tend to be localised and on a small

scale the knowledge and skills required to effectively deal with the rescue are the same.

The causes of collapse can be categorised as deliberate and accidental, including both natural and

socio-technical:

The effect of structural collapse can be numerous casualties trapped beneath, or entombed by

heavy and often unstable debris and the casualties’ chances of survival depend upon rapid location

and extrication.

Therefore it is imperative that teams and individuals are trained and ready to respond to large scale

no notice events due to the chances of survival decreasing rapidly over time.

TYPE EXAMPLES OF LARGE SCALE EVENTS

DELIBERATE TERRORIST World Trade Centre, September 11th 2001

The Pentagon, September 11th 2001

ACCIDENTAL

SOCIO-TECHNICAL Explosion at Stockline Plastic Factory, Glasgow

2004

NATURAL

Hurricanes, Katrina, 2005

Earthquakes, Haiti 2010 and New Zealand 2011

Tsunamis, Japan 2011

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Even though the chances of survival decrease over time for entrapped casualties, there is always a

chance of rescue by a USAR team.

23 Taken from Urban Search and Rescue Technician 1 [USRT1 Course Notes] 2005 Fire Service

College

Chances of Survival23

Percentage of casualties rescued that

survive

Duration of entrapment

91.0% 30 minutes

81.0% 24 hours

36.7% 48 hours

33.7% 72 hours

19.0% 96 hours

7.4% 120 hours

TABLE 1 FOR CASUALTIES ENTRAPPED IN A COLLAPSED STRUCTURE THE CHANCES OF SURVIVAL DIMINISH OVER TIME

FIGURE 40 A SUCCESSFUL RESCUE IN HAITI 2010.

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APPENDIX 3

WHAT IS UK ISAR?

The United Kingdom International Search and Rescue Team (UK-ISAR) is on call 24 hours a

day, 365 days a year to respond to humanitarian accidents or disasters anywhere in the

world, to provide a ‘Search and Rescue Facility’, the most recent deployments for the UK-

ISAR team were the Japanese Tsunami and New Zealand Earthquake in 2011.

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 ISAR Team is

registered with the United

Nations and The European

Community Mechanism and

provides such a service. The

team has, over the last 18 years,

successfully carried out search,

rescue and relief missions

around the world.

The UK International Search and

Rescue Team has components

supplied by 13 UK Fire and Rescue

Services (listed below) available for both

national and international deployments,

and will work alongside other International Search and Rescue teams.

Specific groups also provide command, logistical and medical support in order to ensure

that the team is self-sufficient and meets all the requirements of the INSARAG system (a

Cheshire Essex

Grampian Greater Manchester

Hampshire Kent

Lancashire Leicestershire

Lincolnshire Mid & West Wales

South Wales West Midlands

West Sussex

FIGURE 41 A NEWSPAPER HANDED TO ME AND MY LFRS ISAR

COLLEAGUES AT CHRISTCHURCH AIRPORT AS WE WERE ABOUT TO

RETURN HOME

51 | P a g e

cooperative effort by the United Nations and many of the participating countries in

International Search and Rescue).

The mission of INSARAG is to develop effective international relationships in order to save

lives and render humanitarian services following natural or man-made disasters.

The INSARAG Guidelines aim to provide a methodology for the country affected by a sudden

onset disaster causing large-scale structural collapse (for example caused by an earthquake)

as well as international USAR teams responding to the affected country. This methodology

allows a mechanism where the responding search and rescue teams kill levels and

equipment are predetermined, thus allowing the rescuers to be tasked immediately upon

arrival at the scene of operations.

It also allows teams from different countries to work alongside each other as there is a

greater understanding of the knowledge and skills that the other teams possess as well as

parity regarding equipment and specialist skills. For example the UK ISAR team and the

United States’ International USAR teams; Virginia Task Force 1 and California Task Force 2.

All of which leads to a more conducive working relationship creating a platform where

experiences and skills can be shared more easily.

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APPENDIX 4

LEICESTERSHIRE’S ISAR HISTORY

In 1993 the first Disaster Response Team (DRT) was set up within LFRS and was created to

provide a response to any major disaster that may have occurred whether in the UK or

overseas and since then the team and its members have been deployed to the following:

2011 - Christchurch, New Zealand Earthquake

2010 - Port-au-Prince, Haiti Earthquake

2009 - Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia Earthquake

2005 - Pakistan Earthquake

2004 - Ao Nang, Thailand Tsunami

2004 - Stockline Plastics, Glasgow Major building collapse following an explosion

2003 - Rouiba, Algeria Earthquake

2001 - Gujarat, India Earthquake

1999 - Macedonia Humanitarian Aid

1999 - Izmit/Kocaeli, Turkey Earthquake

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APPENDIX 5

OVERVIEW OF URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE (US&R) IN THE UNITED STATES

In the early 1980s, the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue and Metro-Dade County Fire Department

created elite search-and-rescue (US&R) teams trained for rescue operations in collapsed buildings.

Working with the United States State Department and Office of Foreign Disaster Aid, these teams

provided vital search-and-rescue support for catastrophic earthquakes in Mexico City, the

Philippines and Armenia.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) established the National Urban Search and

Rescue (US&R) Response System in 1989 as a framework for structuring local emergency services

personnel into integrated disaster response task forces.

Events such as the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City, the Northridge

earthquake, the Kansas grain elevator explosion in 1998 and earthquakes in Turkey and Greece in

1999 underscore the need for highly skilled teams to rescue trapped victims.

The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 thrust

FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) teams into the spotlight. Their important work transfixed a

world and brought a surge of gratitude and support.

At present there are 28 national task forces staffed and equipped to conduct round-the-clock

search-and-rescue operations following earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, aircraft

accidents, hazardous materials spills and catastrophic structure collapses. These task forces

complete with necessary tools and equipment, and required skills and techniques, can be deployed

by FEMA for the rescue of victims of structural collapse.

FIGURE 42 LOCATION OF FEMA TASK FORCES

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If a disaster event warrants national US&R support, FEMA will deploy the three closest task forces

within six hours of notification, and additional teams as necessary. The role of these task forces is to

support state and local emergency responders' efforts to locate victims and manage recovery

operations.

For every USAR task force, there are 62 positions. But to be sure a full team can respond to an

emergency, a typical task force has at the ready more than 130 highly-trained members comprised

of fire-fighters, engineers, medical professionals, canine/handler teams and emergency managers

with special training in urban search-and-rescue environments serve as a national resource for

disaster response. The task force is really a partnership between state fire departments, law

enforcement agencies, federal and local governmental agencies and private companies.

FIGURE 43 - TYPE I TASK FORCE ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE SHOWING THE DIFFERENT SPECIALISTS PRESENT WITHIN THE TEAM.

A task force is totally self-sufficient for the first 72 hours of a deployment.

In addition to search-and-rescue support, FEMA provides hands-on training in search-and-rescue

techniques and equipment, technical assistance to local communities, and in some cases federal

grants to help communities better prepare for urban search-and-rescue operations.

I was fortunate enough to visit and spend time with three of 28 FEMA USAR Task Forces that are

prepared to respond to state or federal disasters throughout the United States; Florida Task Force 1

(FL-TF1), California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2) and Virginia Task Force 1 (VA-TF1).

55 | P a g e

APPENDIX 6

LEICESTER MERCURY 13TH SEPTEMBER 2011.