Monday 5 October
10.30hrs
A firefighter from Avon Fire & Rescue Service (AF&RS) is
among a team of volunteers from the UK heading out to Indonesia to
help with the disaster effort.
As a member of the international rescue charity SARAID (Search
and Rescue Assistance in Disasters), Crew Manager Paul Incledon and
the 10-strong search and rescue team were due to arrive in the
Indonesian island of Sumatra on Sunday.
Current estimates put the death toll from Wednesday’s 7.6
magnitude earthquake at 1,000 with a further 1,000 people missing.
However, officials believe this figure is likely to rise.
On call and ready to respond 365 days of the year, SARAID
volunteers are drawn from all walks of life and meet every month to
train for emergencies which could see them called to anywhere in
the world. In the past the group has been mobilised to the 2008
earthquake in Pakistan and 2007 flooding in Mexico.
In his day job as a member of AF&RS’s Urban Search and
Rescue Team, and part of SARAID since 2005, Paul is well prepared
for the mission ahead.
His colleague Group Manager Rob Davis, who is an experienced
member of SARAID, said: “Paul will experience a disaster that
thankfully we do not see in this country, thousands of people made
homeless, real vulnerability and infrastructure breakdown. The
sights, sound and smells will be very much unfamiliar.
“SARAID’s key role in Indonesia will be to provide urban search
and rescue within the collapsed structures using sound location
devices, camera equipment, breaching and breaking equipment,
propping and shoring equipment and rope rescue. All this will
be used to locate trapped victims within the rubble and provide
extrication via the safest route.”
SARAID is funded entirely through public donations – for more
information on the charity’s work visit www.saraid.co.uk