Urban Search and Rescue
Tennessee Task
Force 2 - Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) operates out of the Mayor's
Office of Emergency Management, and builds on the established rescue
capabilities of the Nashville Fire Department by adding engineers,
heavy equipment operators, rigging specialists, chemists, search
dogs and evidence preservation specialists to support first responders
at structural collapse incidents and confined space rescue incidents.
The multi-department USAR task force was established by executive
order in 1995. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency authorized
the designation of Tennessee Task Force 2 (TN-TF 2) after the team
met federal standards.
USAR
consists of more than 200 specialists from several Metro departments
who respond to structural collapse incidents using high-tech fiber
optic cameras, listening devices and trained search dogs to locate
trapped victims. Team engineers devise plans to access trapped victims
while other USAR specialists use concrete cutting tools, heavy equipment
and rigging equipment to stabilize the structure and remove rubble,
so Metro Fire and EMS personnel can perform rescue operations.
How
does it work?
Upon
notification of a structural collapse or confined space rescue, OEM
places the USAR team on standby, while trained personnel from the
Metro Fire Department make the initial response. The Fire Department
assesses the situation and may request activation of part or all of
the task force. Once assembled at the scene, USAR would set up and
Incident Command System.
Can
USAR be sent to other counties?
Yes.
If OEM receives a request from a neighboring county or the Tennessee
Emergency Management Agency, OEM would review that request with the
Mayor. If authorized, USAR would be deployed to the requesting county.
The task force would report to a designated area and come under the
direction of the scene incident commander. USAR is not available for
national deployment at this time.
What
type of training does USAR have?
Each
USAR task force member is required to have standard USAR training
in conjunction with his or her area of expertise. The standard training
includes NFPA 1470, FEMA's Rescue Systems One and Trench Collapse,
ICS, Haz-Mat First Responder and CPR.
Nashville
goes beyond the standards!
Nashville's
USAR team has been involved with numerous hands-on exercises involving
collapsed structures. In fact, the task force has trained with FEMA
USAR teams in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia and New York; and with
Tennessee Task Force One, stationed in Memphis. Here are the Metro
departments represented on Nashville's Urban Search and Rescue
team:
- Mayor's Office of Emergency Management
- Metro Fire Department
- Metro Police Department
- Metro Public Works
- Metro Water Services
- General Services Administration
- Information Technology System
For more information on Nashville's Urban Search and Rescue team, visit www.tntf2.org