New Zealand Fire Service USAR team to go to Sendai

The New Zealand Fire Service USAR team has been tasked to search for survivors in northern Japan following Friday’s devastating earthquake and tsunami.

The team is made up of 46 USAR personnel supported by an additional five Defence staff and an MFAT representative (total 52).

The advance party which includes the NZ Fire Service National Manager Special Operations Jim Stuart-Black arrived yesterday afternoon (early evening NZ time). This group will be working in the Sendai area with the Australian, German and Swiss USAR teams. They are currently assembled at the USA military base at Yokota near Tokyo.

The remainder of the New Zealand team arrives at 16.37pm Tokyo time (8.37pm NZ time) and will also go first to the Yokota military base. From there they will be transported to Sendai where they will begin searching for survivors.

The Sendai area is about 130 kilometres away from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facilities.

Jim Stuart-Black said “The team will be well outside the current evacuation area. As an added precaution, everyone went through refresher training in managing and monitoring radiation exposure before they left. We all also have protective suits and respirators with us.”

The team is self sufficient and have taken food, bedding, tents and all their equipment with them.

ends

© Scoop Media