NZ seeks UN classification of search and rescue team

New Zealand seeks UN classification of search and rescue team

6 March 2015

New Zealand expects to gain a United Nations classification of its national urban search and rescue team following a 36-hour exercise that begins in Palmerston North on Monday (9 March).

Exercise Kia Kaha (“Stay Strong”) will simulate a deployment to Fiji after its capital Suva has been hit by an 8.3-magnitude earthquake. The scenario envisages widespread building damage and loss of essential services.

A series of tests at three simulated disaster zones around the city will assess the expertise of a 71-member team, drawn from more than 200 search and rescue personnel at bases in Auckland, Palmerston North and Christchurch. Most are New Zealand Fire Service personnel, with the balance made up of medical staff, engineers and search dog handlers from partner agencies.

Team members must demonstrate proficiency in areas such as management and logistical support, search, rescue, heavy machinery use, communications, medical aid delivery and dog handling.

On hand to assess their performance will be eight observers from the Netherlands, South Korea, Switzerland, Britain, Germany, the United States, Jordan and Australia.

The countdown to the exercise will begin on Sunday evening (8 March) when team members gather in Auckland from around the country before flying south the following morning.

About 18 tonnes of accompanying equipment will also be assembled for transport overnight. A requirement to be self-sufficient while in the field means the team must take all of its own equipment, supplies, food, water and power to last between 10 and 14 days.

The New Zealand Fire Service is leading the exercise, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade, Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management, New Zealand Defence Force, New Zealand Customs Service, Ministry for Primary Industries, St John, Air Chathams Airline and the Emergency Management Office of Horizons Regional Council.

Fire Service Chief Executive & National Commander Paul Baxter said planners had tried to make the exercise as realistic as possible.

“Urban search and rescue teams need specialist skills above. Their work necessarily focuses on the most difficult rescues after earthquakes, landslides and similar disasters.”

To add realism, organisers had secured the co-operation of two amputees from Wanganui who, “trapped and bloodied” among the rubble, would test the grit of rescuers.

Mr Baxter said the level of expertise needed to secure UN classification was high. “Observers use a rigorous marking system, and a single fail mark in any aspect of the exercise, no matter how minor, will rule us out of contention.”

The UN’s International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) classifies medium and heavy operations. New Zealand is seeking the higher rating, which requires the capacity to operate simultaneously at two separate sites.

INSARAG promotes enhanced standards and co-operation among its 80 member countries, 33 of which have 40 classified teams.

Mr Baxter said gaining classification was important because it would confirm New Zealand’s team meets international standards of best practice when it responds to calls for help from neighbouring countries.

“We need to pull our weight on the international stage, and accreditation is a prerequisite for providing any assistance. Host countries need to know we have the necessary expertise to help, rather than hamper, local operations. Equally, New Zealand has that assurance in the event teams arrive to help here.”

Classification would allow New Zealand to join the 40 teams worldwide that can currently be deployed under UN auspices to help after a disaster.

A 23-strong group of fire, rescue and emergency management officials from eight Pacific Island nations will also observe the exercise.

Mr Baxter said the UN was keen to increase the number of classified teams in the Asia-Pacific region, which included the earthquake-prone Pacific Rim and which currently had only six teams. The Americas had fewer still – just two – while Europe, Africa and the Middle East were home to the remaining 32. Of the 40 teams, 27 have a heavy classification and 13 a medium certification.

The Palmerston North phase of the exercise will officially begin at midday on Monday (9 March) and end at 1am on Wednesday (11 March). Classifiers are expected to release their draft decision on Wednesday afternoon.

ENDS

Exercise Kia Kaha: Background information

YouTube: Briefing video by New Zealand Fire Service Chief Executive & National Commander Paul Baxter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bBagBz6TNs&list=UUQu-E5AwQWpXspT446EvbNw

Gavin Travers, Area Commander, New Zealand Fire Service, National Advisor Operations (USAR): responsible for national urban search and rescue capability

Paul Burns, Area Commander, New Zealand Fire Service: responsible for INSARAG classification project

Bernie Rush, Area Commander, New Zealand Fire Service: responsible for control of INSARAG classification project

The team: The roles (and numbers) are as follows:

• Fire Service firefighters with urban search and rescue training (57)
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• St John paramedics (5)
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• Dog handlers from the NZ USAR Search Dog Association (4)
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• Engineers (2)
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• Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials liaise with host country if an overseas deployment (2)
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• Doctor from Auckland District Health Board (1)
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Equipment: The 71-strong team will need 18 tonnes of equipment. Assembling, checking, packing and dispatching such a quantity of material will present a significant logistical challenge. Once ready for mobilisation, it will be loaded on to trucks for overnight transport to Palmerston North.

Search dogs: The team has four dogs and four handlers. Training is rigorous. http://www.usardogs.org.nz/about.html

Exercise control centre: Located in former Longburn freezing works, where about 30 staff will control or, lend support to, the overall operation. Breakdown of roles (and number):

• New Zealand Fire Service staff responsible for control and co-ordination of exercise (12)
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• Firefighters from the New South Wales Fire & Rescue Service and Queensland Fire & Rescue Service, who will act in a role player capacity (including as patients) (13)
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• Truck drivers (4)
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• Staff from Emergency Management Office of Horizons Regional Council (2)
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• St John paramedics (2)
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• St John ambulance crew on standby (2)
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• Amputees who will act as disaster victims (2)
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National Co-ordination Centre: Activated at New Zealand Fire Service headquarters in Wellington to act as a liaison hub between agencies.

Communications: Incident management staff will use a tool developed specifically for urban search and rescue work by the New Zealand Fire Service, in conjunction with the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management. It converts data from portable field devices into a constantly updated picture of events for decision-making purposes. This can be shared easily with other agencies, displayed at national headquarters and transferred overseas.

Air Chathams Airline: Two Convair 580 CIB cargo planes will transport the team from Auckland to Palmerston North.

Classifiers:

Arjan Stam, Netherlands, team leader

Kim Yongsang, South Korea, management expert and deputy team leader

David Sochor, Switzerland, management expert

Peter Mills, Britain, search expert

Bertram Bahr, Germany, rescue expert

Malcolm Dicks, logistics expert, United States

Firas Falah: logistics expert, Jordan

Peter Croft: medical expert, Australia

Classification ratings:

Light capacity: Teams are equipped to help with hazard identification and surface search and rescue activities. They are not typically deployed overseas.

Medium capacity: Teams have the equipment and personnel to carry out incident management, search, rescue, medical and logistics activities at a single disaster site for up to seven days. Teams may have a dog search capability or a technical rescue capability. Teams must be self-sufficient.

Heavy capacity: Teams have the equipment and personnel to carry out incident management, search, rescue, medical and logistics activities at two disaster sites simultaneously for up to 10 days. Teams must have the ability to identify hazardous substances. They must also have a dog search capability and a technical rescue capability. Teams must be self-sufficient.

Renewal of classification: This is required every five years.

INSARAG role: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade and the New Zealand Fire Service co-chair the Asia-Pacific region of INSARAG on behalf of New Zealand. China will assume the role in 2016.

Simulated disaster zones:

• Former Longburn freezing works, 90 Works Road, off State Highway 56 (where there are two worksites known as the “Fairfax Shopping Mall” and “Pine Gold Function Centre”)
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• Palmerston North City Council building, Centre, 32 The Square (“Grand Chancellor Apartments”)
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• Yard of civil contractor Higgins, Tip Road, Awapuni, Palmerston North (“Mollet Street Backpackers”)
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Exercise Kia Kaha: Timeline:

Monday, 9 March

1pm:

Team arrives at Palmerston North airport (“Suva”), is processed by border control and establishes a reception and departure centre.

3pm:

Reconnaissance of disaster sites, establishment of co-ordination centre and base of operations.

5pm to 3am:

Longburn (“Fairfax Shopping Mall”): Collapse of two-storey unreinforced masonry structure; dogs (5pm to 6pm) and listening devices needed to locate victims; shoring up of structure; removal of concrete slabs and other debris; retrieval and treatment of victims.

5pm to midnight:

Longburn (“Pine Gould Function Centre”): Partial pancake collapse of four-storey reinforced concrete structure with a basement; access via second-level window; shoring up necessary before entering building; listening device needed to locate victim; also necessary to cut through concrete floor necessary to locate and free trapped victim using hydraulic lift equipment (2.5-tonne load); treat victim.

7.30pm to 9pm:

Higgins yard (“Mollet Street Backpackers”): Search dogs scour rubble for suspected victims.

Tuesday, 10 March

1.30am to 8.30am:

Longburn (“Fairfax Shopping Mall”): camera search, vertical breaching of concrete obstruction, hydraulic lifting of column that traps victim; medical assessment, possible amputation and removal.

3am to 7am:

Longburn (“Fairfax Shopping Mall”): wall has partially collapsed and adjoining section unstable: requires shoring up and stabilising.

8am to 12.30pm

Council building, 32 The Square (“Grand Chancellor Apartments”): Six-storey reinforced building. Stairs are unstable and obstructed by debris. Victim on a roof must be treated and lowered to the ground using ropes.

9.30am to 3pm

Longburn (“Pine Gould Function Centre”): Calls for help heard from under slabs of concrete – apparently an embassy official from another country; search dogs called in (9.30am to 10.30am) to narrow search area; search camera locates victim. Crane used to remove slabs from car, free diplomat and treat injuries. Facilitate handover of official documents in car to another embassy representative.

Midday to 1.30pm

Higgins yard (“Mollet Street Backpackers”): Search dogs called in to find two suspected victims under rubble.

2pm to 8pm

Longburn (“Pine Gould Function Centre”): Voices heard from car park; two victims found using acoustic equipment and cameras. It is necessary to remove 2.5-tonne slab to rescue one; cutting structural steel and column necessary to free other victim. Both are retrieved and given medical treatment. A third victim, found to be dead, is recovered.

2pm to 6pm

Longburn (“Fairfax Shopping Mall”): Wall partially collapses, blocking exit of staff room. Dogs called in after report of person missing in area; also a check for hazardous substances. Dogs find two victims – necessary to remove 2.5-tonne slab as well as general debris. Victims are retrieved and given medical care.

Wednesday, 11 March

1am

Exercise ends.

ENDS

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