ERT SAR | RESCUE
PHOTO: Members of ERT SAR in Dubai at the UN INSARAG Team Leaders conference
The "Rescue Section" is mostly the domain of the C SQUAD (Specialist Rescuers and Medics.)
For our international standards we follow the United Nations INSARAG (International Search and Rescue Advisory Group) list of guiding principles and humanitarian global rescue disciplines and subjects. Nationally, we tend to align with the Fire and Rescue Standards.
As specialist rescuers, ERT SAR train in several disciplines and are compliant to many national and international standards. Although not always the case, most of the professional rescue standards we perform to are most closely aligned to the Fire Service.
We practise responding to hazardous and challenging environments using specialist skills and equipment to resolve complex emergencies in a "Technical Rescue" response.
These most commonly would be
Rope Rescue Techniques (e.g. rescuing someone from height or unstable ground.)
Urban Search & Rescue (e.g. rescuing people from an earthquake building collapse)
Structure Firefighting (ERTSAR is it's own "Fire Rescue" Service)
Wildland & WUI or Wildland Urban Interface (Qualified with international deployments)
Wilderness Search and Rescue (e.g. rescue from an austere remote environment.)
Confined Space Rescue (e.g. rescuing someone from a compromised small area.)
Helicopter Operations and working around helicopters
And Water and Marine Operations (which is its own discipline in ERT SAR.)
Fire Suppression: (Wildland / Bush Fires and Structural Firefighting)
Common Standards are the UK Fire Rescue Service, DEFRA ConOps (Floods) as well as the United Nations INSARAG and the NFPA 1006 Technical Rescue Disciplines.
PICTURED: ERTSAR Wildland Firefighters
SPECIALIST AREAS
URBAN SEARCH & RESCUE
Our Rescuers during a week of training on responding to collapsed structure rescues and using timber / wood Paratech shoring.
ROPE RESCUE SKILLS
We include the foundations of rope or line rescue in all our member training. This was the first rope of us picture taken in 2002.
FIRE RESCUE
Our Specialist Fire Rescue team members come from all capacities within Fire Rescue. This was our first Fire Vehicle Rescue 71!
WILDLAND FIRE
Wildland Fire is a different discipline than structure fire fighting. Our members deploy all around the world to wildland & bush fires.
FLOOD RESCUE
Our Swiftwater Rescue Teams (in July 2007 in Oxfordshire) pre-dating the Pitt Review & the DEFRA ConOps. [YouTube Link]
TECH RESCUE SKILLS
Our Rescuers using ropes, breaching tools and equipment and confined space rescue techniques to access trapped victims.