Technical Rescue

The DART Technical Rescue (USAR) Team is made up of member volunteers who are currently undergoing training or have achieved certification in the following Technical Rescue disciplines:

  • High and Low Angle Rope Rescue
  • Structural Collapse Rescue
  • Confined Space Rescue, Awareness and Operations Level
  • Trench/Cave-in Rescue
  • Hazardous Material First Responder, Awareness Level
  • Hazardous Material First Responder, Technician Level

This multi-disciplined team of volunteers provides the Los Gatos Police Department and the Los Gatos Community a "tiered" level of response in the event of a natural or man-made disaster or wilderness rescue. The DART Technical Rescue (USAR) Team also plays a critical role in reinforcing State Office of Emergency Service's ability to strengthen local Police Department, Regional Open Space District, and Regional Fire District resources during technical search and rescue operations in other Bay Area locations.

CAPABILITIES:
The DART Technical Rescue Team is capable of conducting search and rescue operations at a Type-4 (Basic) Operation level, Type-3 (Light) Operation level and Type-2 (Medium) Operation level as defined by the California Firescope Fire Service Field Operations Guide. Selected elements of a Type-1 (Heavy) Operational level rescue techniques are taught to DART Technical Rescue Team members at an awareness level only.

The DART Technical Rescue Team currently has eleven members certified in Rescue Systems-1 (Fundamentals of Heavy Rescue). Twelve members are trained in Confined Space Rescue Awareness with three trained in Confined Space Rescue Operations as defined by the California State Fire. Five Technical Rescue Team members are also certified as SwiftWater Rescue Technicians by Rescue-3 International. Technical Rescue Team members are also trained to a Hazardous Material First Responder, Awareness Level (FRA) as defined by State and Federal OSHA.

There are currently fourteen non RS-1 certified Technical Rescue Team members who are presently being trained as Support Personnel for the Strike Team Crews. They will continue to function in a support role until they complete their RS-1 training.

Of the twenty-five Technical Rescue and Support Team members, two are Emergency Medical Technicians and 11 are First Responders. Specific "technical rescue" training is provided to our DART Medical Team members to enhance the ability of the Technical Rescue Team to provide a multi-discipline approach to rescue efforts.

Two members of the Technical Rescue Team are also trained in the use of heavy equipment such as forklifts, end loaders, back hoes, and heavy trucks. Use if this type of equipment is critical to the Technical Rescue effort during the first stages of clean up and mobilization.

BEST USES:

  • Assisting in the bracing of buildings, structures, or confined spaces in preparation for rescue operations or to prevent further collapse.
  • Tunneling through light frame and concrete construction debris.
  • Using basic rope rescue techniques to reach and remove victims in an urban or wilderness location.
  • Victim mobilization and removal for medical treatment.
  • Providing site security and control for chemical spill mitigation.

TRAINING OBJECTIVES:
Training generally takes place on the first Saturday of eachmonth unless other training or DART activities take precedence. Topics generally include elements from the State Fire Marshall RS-1 or Confined Space Rescue Manual, and are approximately 3 hours in duration.

Technical Rescue techniques from the State Fire Marshall Rescue Systems-1 Manual are the primary focus of the DART Technical Rescue training program. Other relevant material on rescue techniques and skills are also utilize to the extent feasible, but only if they do not conflict with the State Fire Marshall, or National Fire Protection Association programs currently in place or under development.

DART has chosen to utilize this standard of training as our benchmark because it is the level of training being provided to Fire Department personnel in the State of California. As an Urban Search & Rescue resource in the Bay Area, DART will most likely be asked to support the County Fire Department during natural and man-made disasters. Consistency in training is extremely important to the success of any rescue operation. Utilizing the same type of equipment, techniques, and skills taught to fire department personnel ensures minimal confusion during multi-agency operations.

Typical training topics include but are not limited to:

  • basic ropes, knots, and anchors
  • mechanical advantage systems
  • low and high angle rescue
  • building types and collapse patterns
  • cribbing and shoring technique
  • site assessment and basic planning for building search
  • considerations for working in confined spaces
  • breaching techniques for light to medium structures
  • key principles for using levers to lift and move heavy objects
  • EMS and patient packaging considerations
  • raising, lowering, retrieval systems
  • ladder rigs and tripods
  • trench/cave-in rescue techniques
  • lock out/ tag out procedures
  • hazardous material awareness/ operations
  • heavy construction equipment operations
  • self rescue techniques
  • Incident Command System (ICS)

MULTI-AGENCY COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS:
<P>The DART Technical Rescue Team is currently in the process of conducting an extensive joint Technical Rescue Training Program with selected members of the Santa Clara County Fire Department. Specific training has already been completed in the area of Technical Rope Rescue, SwiftWater Rescue, Confined Space Rescue, and Hazardous Material Awareness. Technical Rescue, Swiftwater, and Confined Space Rescue training will continue to take place throughout the year with future joint training opportunities currently being developed in the areas of:

  • Trench & Excavation Rescue
  • Rescue Systems-2
  • Vehicle extrication

Los Gatos DART continues to conduct joint training exercises with other local SAR organizations such as Santa Cruz Search & Rescue in the area of Urban and Wilderness Search and Rescue during our summer and winter training drills.

The Los Gatos DART Technical Rescue Team has also provided training sessions on Basic Rope Systems at the annual Bay Area Search And Rescue Council (BASARC) Bay Area Training for Search & Rescue (BATSAR) program hosted by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office.

Providing joint training opportunities and developing relationships with the professional rescue community (County Fire) and volunteer rescue organizations like Santa Cruz Search &amp; Rescue and the BASARC community has helped to create a sense of teamwork between our respective organizations and has created an opportunity for
all three organizations to:

  • Develop and sharpen necessary skills and techniques for technical  rescue operations.
  • Create a multi-discipline team approach to rescue operations.
  • Increase manpower needed to perform a "tiered response"  in the event of a natural or man-made disaster.
  • Provide our communities with a current and competent disaster aid services.

Multi-agency agreements for technical rescue training and operations are also underway with the MidPeninsula Regional Open Space District.

GLOSSARY OF USAR TERMS:
Basic Operational Level - The Basic level represents the minimum capability to conduct safe and effective search and rescue operations at structure collapse incidents. Personnel at this level shall be competent at surface rescue which involves minimal removal of debris and building contents to extricate easily accessible victims from non-collapsed structures.

Light Operational Level - The Light level represents the minimum capability to conduct safe and effective search and rescue operations at structure collapse incidents involving collapse or failure of light frame construction and basic rope rescue operations.

Medium Operational Level - The Medium level represents the minimum capacity to conduct safe and effective search and rescue operations at structure collapse incidents involving the collapse or failure of reinforced and unreinforced (URM), concrete tilt up and heavy timber construction.

Heavy Operational Level - The Heavy level represents the structure collapse incidents involving the collapse or failure of reinforced concrete or steel frame construction and confined space rescue operations.

Basic Rope Rescue - Rescue operations of a non-complex nature employing the use of ropes and accessory equipment.

Confined Space Rescue - Rescue operations in an enclosed area, with limited access/egress, not designed for human occupancy and has the potential for physical, chemical, or atmospheric injury.

GLOSSARY OF OSHA TERMS:
First Responder, Awareness Level (FRA) - First responders at the awareness level are individuals who are likely to witness or discover a hazardous substance release and who have been trained to initiate an emergency response sequence by notifying the proper authorities of the release. They should have sufficient training to understand what hazardous substances are and the risks associated with them in the incident; an understanding of the potential outcomes of dealing with hazardous substances; the ability to recognize the presence of a hazardous substance; an understanding of the
role of the First Responder at the awareness level; use of the Department of Transportation Emergency Response Guidebook; and the ability to recognize the need for additional resources and make appropriate notifications.

Confined Space - A confined space is defined as an area that:

  • Is large enough for a person to bodily enter and perform work; and
  • has limited or restricted means of entry and exit; and
  • is not designed for continuous human occupancy

Permit Required Confined Space - A permit required confined space is defined as a confined space that has one or more of the following:

  • Contains, or has a known potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere;
  • contains material with the potential for engulfment;

has an internal configuration such that an entrant could be trapped or asphyxiated by inwardly converging walls, or a floor which slopes and tapers to a smaller cross-section; or contains any other recognized serious safety or health hazard.

Peter Henrichsen, DART Technical Rescue (USAR) Team Leader
June 1998, Revision 2