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Responsibilities by Mission Cycle

Preparedness​

Management

  • Responsible for the staffing, training and deployment of the USAR team over the entire USAR response cycle
  • Responsible for following and training to INSARAG minimum standards
  • Ensure proper identification of USAR team functions
  • Ensure all personnel are trained in safety and security
  • Ensure that safety and security function is assigned to (a) team member(s)
  • Responsible for maintaining coordination with national (team’s governing body) and international stakeholders (i.e. INSARAG) and being active on the VOSOCC
  • Ensure the readiness of the USAR team all the times, and that a mobilisation organisation maintains an up-to-date immediate call-up system
  • Responsible for the registration of the USAR team in the INSARAG USAR Directory

Search

  • Responsible for having in place physical search, dog and/or technical search structures and methods, and their regular training and constant readiness
  • Responsible for dog handlers having the possibility to train with the other members of the USAR team (e.g. technical search, rescue and medical)
  • Responsible for ensuring that all appropriate documentation for border-crossing for dog (e.g. microchip, vaccination) is ready

Rescue

  • Responsible for rescue structures and methods being in place, regularly trained and in constant readiness
  • Responsible for ensuring that rescue teams have the possibility to train with the other members of the USAR team (e.g. dog and technical search and medical)
  • Responsible for ensuring industry best practices are maintained and implementing new rescue methods, standards and technical equipment accordingly

Medical

  • Maintain a constant state of mission readiness and comply with all other general requirements as determined by USAR team policy
  • Develop and maintain an appropriate schedule of immunisations for working in the affected country recommended by the USAR team’s national health authorities
  • Maintain the medical cache stored in clearly labelled containers with attached inventory list for deployment and border-crossing
  • Prepare processes to efficiently medically screen all personnel at the time of international deployment 

Logistics

  • Maintain logistical readiness for training and international deployment and equipment/staff to set up and maintain a BoO (technical equipment and supplies for entire deployment)
  • Have appropriate documentation for border-crossing for the USAR team staff and equipment (i.e. passport, visa, certificate of vaccination, labelling of equipment, cargo manifest, shippers’ declaration of dangerous goods)
  • Maintain up-to-date transportation arrangements for international deployment
  • Maintain communications equipment always ready for deployment (interoperable)
  • Maintain a system to be self-sufficient (food, water, fuel) for the duration of deployment

Mobilisation​

Management

  • Ensure departure within ten hours after the request for assistance is possible
  • The USAR Team Leader has the overall responsibility of personnel, equipment, and operations from the team’s activation until its return home
  • Collect and analyse information about the disaster and the actual situation in the affected country (i.e. the VOSOCC and/or ICMS)
  • Await the request for international assistance by the affected country or offer assistance via diplomatic channels
  • Through the designated channels in the home country, collect the relevant disaster and affected country information to formulate (additional) recommendations for the deployment of the USAR team
  • Through the designated channels in the home country collect relevant disaster and affected country information from the affected country authorities to be able to plan USAR team deployment according to the needs and requirements of the affected country
  • Obtain log on information for the ICMS from the VOSOCC
  • Provide and update planning and deployment details and team capacity and exchange information with the international community through VOSOCC and ICMS (coordination with the UCC and other teams)
  • For planning, encourage that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs liaises with the affected country if and what support is required
  • Prepare meetings with RDC/UCC or the LEMA directly, if first arriving (information about the teams’ capabilities and the needed support by local authorities)
  • Brief the USAR team on the disaster, the engagement and the affected country’s cultural and political sensitivities and reinforce the ethics considerations
  • Prepare to establish and to run an initial RDC and UCC and to support UNDAC, if needed

Search

  • Ensure that the readiness of physical search, technical and/or dogs (health, fitness, hygiene, diet, etc.) for travel, including all specialised gear and equipment (including microchips), are ready for USAR operation (respect international standards and procedures)

Rescue

  • Ensure readiness of equipment cache and necessary documentations for restricted items

Medical

  • Conduct remote information gathering to include:
    • Affected country specific health and medical risks
  • Through the designated channels in the home country, verify that medical personnel with licensure have appropriate permission to practice their discipline within the scope of USAR operations in the affected country
  • Assess the local medical infrastructure to determine baseline capabilities and potential impacts
  • Monitor the VOSOCC for any restrictions or health information relevant to the deployment
  • Conduct the medical screening process for USAR team personnel and dogs as well as a review of the required international documentation
  • Coordinate with safety and hazardous materials (hazmat) functions to clarify overlapping concerns
  • Determine medical plan for in-transit phase and be prepared to adjust during travel

Logistics

  • Ensure availability of transportation (air or ground; to/within country)
  • Provide team members’ lists and equipment manifest and shippers’ declaration for dangerous goods and prepare for international border control processes
  • Ensure self-sufficiency for the duration of deployment (pre-packed dedicated equipment cache) so as not to deplete domestic capacity
  • Check compatibility of radio equipment with local systems
  • Identify local support needs and communicate to the UCC

Operations​

Management

  • The LEMA of the affected country is the overall responsible authority for the disaster response; USAR teams must adhere with the policies and procedures of the affected country regarding incident operations
  • Team management is responsible for managing all aspects of team operations and ensuring all functional areas within the team coordinate operations; they are responsible to assess the progress of operations; they must ensure ongoing coordination and communication between other response entities
  • Coordinate with the RDC and/or UCC during the entire operation: all planning must be done in close cooperation and information exchange with UCC Ensure that all ICMS and paper-based documents are processed and shared according to INSARAG USAR coordination
  • Monitor and approve ICMS and paper-based information from field staff to external parties for quality control
  • Ensure that the USAR team efforts are integrated into local operations
  • If first USAR team in place, and RDC and UCC are not in place, establish and operate provisional RDC and UCC
  • Ensure that operations can start with priority (assignments) and set up the BoO simultaneously
  • Organise reconnaissance missions to identify worksites, based on INSARAG triage method
  • Establish a work cycle to ensure a sustainable work at worksite(s) and rest periods (maintain a reserve)
  • Establish an information cycle to brief home base, USAR team members, UCC
  • Keep a detailed operations log
  • Assess and respect permanently the safety and security situation and procedures
  • Establish and enforce rules and regulations for safety and security on worksite(s) and BoO
  • Managing and coordinating the media together with the UCC.
  • Conduct contingency planning from beginning of the operation (safety/security, medical evacuation (medevac), demobilisation etc.)

Search

  • Perform physical, technical and/or dog search in collapsed or failed structures
  • Continually conduct a risk/hazard analysis of the assigned zone for USAR team members and dog and take appropriate mitigation action
  • Assess and respect permanently the safety and security situation and procedures

Rescue

  • Perform rescue in collapsed or failed structures in close operation with search and medical component
  • Assess the collapsed structure and local failures to identify void size, location and configuration for potential live victims, and for determining access possibilities
  • Interview the public for information on victims, building lay-out and use
  • Decide access points, escape routes, safe havens and assembly points
  • Set up of a staff accounting system, building monitoring system and safety and security system
  • Perform cutting, breaching, lifting, lowering, moving, shoring, rigging and other rescue operations
  • Continually conduct a risk/hazard analysis of the assigned zone for USAR team members and take appropriate mitigation action
  • Assess and respect permanently the safety and security situation and procedures
  • Establish worksite perimeter control procedures

Medical

  • Coordinate with the UCC/LEMA to determine:
    • Capacities, capabilities, and locations of available local and international medical resources
    • Local medical process and contact details for: casualty handover, casualty transport, fatality management, and medical waste disposal
  • Provide medical input into USAR team decision making/planning process
  • Coordinate with safety, hazmat, and logistics functions to promote safe health and hygiene practices (BoO and work sites)
  • Provide on-going health monitoring and medical care to USAR team members (to include dogs)
  • Initiate remote patient assessment and emergency medical care as soon as entrapped patients are accessed (in some instances, prolonged care may be required for many hours as the patient is extricated)
  • Provide initial evaluation, care, transport or referral of individuals with medical conditions encountered while the USAR team is on reconnaissance missions
  • Provide assistance with medical care during transportation of patients from field to a care facility, if required
  • Provide assistance with recovery of deceased in the collapsed structure environment as requested by LEMA and approved by USAR team management. Attention must be paid tot cultural sensitivities
  • Provide advice as part of multi-disciplinary input through the UCC into the LEMA decision making on when emergency response to the collapsed structure incident should transition to a recovery effort (i.e. the potential for survivability for those still entrapped)

Logistics

  • Establish BoO. The BoO serves as the USAR team’s site for headquarters, communications hub, sleeping/resting/eating/health areas, equipment stock set-up and refuge from the elements while operational in a disaster-affected country
  • Run and organise the BoO over all of the operation, including perimeter control procedures
  • Support the work on the worksites (e.g. transportation, food, equipment)
  • Ensure that all team personnel have reliable means of communications
  • Coordinate transportation requirements
  • Perform contingency planning for relocation of BoO and the demobilisation phase
  • Support the management on the contingency planning (e.g. transportation for medevac)

Demobilisation​

Management

  • Demobilisation must be planned and coordinated from the beginning of the operation. UCC and LEMA must be involved in the planning from the beginning
  • Ensure a proper hand-over is conducted to USAR teams that take over the tasks of the departing team
  • Teams are required to update their team fact sheet in ICMS and notify the UCC, who - based on the team’s request - should provide the team with an estimated stand-down date and time
  • Teams are required to complete and submit the documentation to the UCC
  • Plan and communicate possible donations to the LEMA and/or affected community with communication to the UCC
  • Prior to leaving the area, the USAR team leader is expected to meet with the UCC for their particular area of operations, as appropriate, to complete the team’s participation
  • If appropriate and in coordination with the UCC, communicate to the media the conclusion of their work and departure

Search

  • Cease work and prepare handover to the organisation taking over the tasks
  • Prepare dogs and equipment for return transportation

Rescue

  • Cease work and prepare handover to the organisation taking over the tasks
  • Prepare and pack equipment for demobilisation and departure

Medical

  • Coordinate with UCC on potential recipients of medical cache donations
  • Per team policy, document and donate requested medical cache items
  • Assess potential team exposures and/or health issues for follow on medical care
  • Maintain in-transit medical care for team to home base

Logistics

  • The BoO site should be restored to its original state
  • Prepare the BoO equipment for return transportation
  • Ensure that the dangerous goods are prepared, packed and labelled according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations
  • Provide resources for logistics requirements during demobilisation (preparing of updated manifests, packing and loading, shippers’ declaration of dangerous goods etc.)
  • Plan required transportation

Post-Mission​

Management

  • The after-action process includes compiling a post mission report documenting administrative issues and operational concerns which should be forwarded to OCHA within 45 days of returning home (see Post Mission Report Form).
  • Lessons learned must be included in planning and training.

Search

  • Provide input into USAR team post mission operations report.

Rescue

  • Provide input into USAR team post mission operations report.

Medical

  • As required, coordinate immediate and long-term medical follow-up with team management (including mental health).
  • Restore USAR medical cache within timeline prescribed by USAR team policy.
  • Provide input into USAR team post mission operations report.

Logistics

  • Safety equipment and supplies must be restored and restocked for next deployment.
  • Provide input into USAR team post mission operations report.