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USAR Deployment Considerations

USAR Training and Development Methodology​

Training and development—both initial, joint, and recertification—are critical to the successful implementation of any local USAR capacity-building project and must address all components of the team.

The USAR Management and Administration structure is responsible for developing a standardised process to identify and deliver training based on operational needs and capability development objectives.

This process should include:

  • Identification of existing resources, procedures, and competencies
  • Self-evaluation to determine actual operational capacity
  • Gap analysis to identify training requirements
  • Identification of preconditions for training effectiveness

Unlike the singular focus of USAR first responders, the development of a full USAR team requires the coordinated training of personnel across all functions within the team. Therefore, to ensure consistent development of USAR capacities globally, INSARAG recommends a position-based training methodology—linking individual training directly to specific functional roles within the team.

Each functional position within a USAR Team has an associated role description and competency framework. These are common across all levels of USAR Team capacity (Light, Medium, Heavy), with variations reflecting differing operational demands. The full list of functional positions and associated descriptions are detailed in USAR Team Training and Roles

INSARAG further recommends that training requirements be linked to team positions and structured as modular learning packages (“USAR Modules”), enabling standardisation and scalability of national and international USAR capacity development.

Transition from Rescue to Early Relief​

In many disaster environments, USAR operations overlap with early relief activities. USAR teams may, at the request of the Local Emergency Management Authority (LEMA), assist in limited early relief operations, but must only undertake tasks within their certified capacity and competence.

The USAR Team Leader, in consultation with the sponsoring organisation, should determine early in deployment whether the team can assist with early relief. Any such decision must be communicated to the UCC Manager for integration into the wider relief coordination plan.

Typical early relief tasks may include:

  • Situation and Needs Assessments:
    • Infrastructure (roads, bridges)
    • Structural stability
    • Coordination systems
    • Fire safety and prevention
    • Communication networks
    • Electrical power systems
    • Reservoir, water, and sewage integrity
    • Hydro-facilities
    • Food and water distribution networks
    • Shelter distribution and temporary camp establishment
  • Refugee Camp Assessments:
    • External and internal safety analysis
    • Risk and hazard assessments
  • Water and Sanitation Assessments:
    • System functionality.
    • Health and contamination risk analysis
  • Medical and Public Health Support:
    • Nutrition and health assessment
    • Medical infrastructure evaluation
    • Field medical support and care delivery
  • Donor Centre Logistics Support:
    • Planning, receiving, and distribution of relief goods
    • Stock management and record control
  • USAR Coordination Support:
    • RDC and UCC staffing
    • Planning cell support
    • Liaison and information management
  • Limited Hands-on Training for Local Responders:
    • Task-specific familiarisation and mentoring
  • Logistics Support:
    • Airport, seaport, and inland transfer point management
    • Overland transport and warehouse operations

USAR Team Positions​

USAR Teams rely on a structured composition of personnel, with defined roles and responsibilities to ensure safe, effective, and coordinated operations.

There are 17 identified functional positions, aligned to the five INSARAG components of a USAR Team:

  1. Management
  2. Search
  3. Rescue
  4. Medical
  5. Logistics

Not all teams will require all positions, and some may have additional roles depending on their classification (Light, Medium, Heavy) and national requirements. What remains essential is that each function is performed consistently according to the team’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and INSARAG Guidelines.

USAR Team Training Requirements​

Each functional role includes defined training requirements, covering both general and role-specific competencies.

Training outcomes are performance-based, defined through Learning Outcomes and Performance Criteria, setting the minimum standards necessary to achieve operational readiness.

Once a USAR Team has been certified for national response, the sponsoring organisation should conduct a readiness analysis to determine whether the team meets the criteria to form part of its government’s international assistance framework for collapsed structure response under INSARAG coordination.