Urban Search and Rescue (USAR)
Nailsea Fire Station (16), Pound Lane, Nailsea, Bristol BS48
2NN.
Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) forms part of the 'New
Dimension' programme. This programme provides fire and rescue
services with a national capability to respond to major emergencies
involving chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN)
events, search and rescue, major flooding incidents and major
transport incidents.
Avon Fire & Rescue Service’s (AF&RS) new Urban
Search and Rescue Station in Nailsea has been officially
opened.
Read the Press Release about the new USAR Station
opening.
Prior to the building work the USAR team was based at various
stations around the Avon area. The new 1,000 square metre station
will now provide a base for 16 USAR technicians, on standby to
respond to incidents both locally and nationally. The new station
includes six double appliance bays, alongside the existing two
which will continue to be used by the town’s retained duty
firefighters at Nailsea Fire
Station.
The USAR team has five large ‘modules’, transported on lorries,
which carry specialist equipment to deal with a range of incidents.
Among the items carried are listening devices and cameras, heavy
cutting and breaking tools to access buildings, and propping and
shoring equipment. AF&RS’s high volume pump, which was
used during the 2007 Gloucestershire floods, is also based at the
premises.
At the opening of
the Station, Kevin Pearson, Chief Fire Officer of Avon Fire &
Rescue Service said: “The tragic events of 9/11 in New York in
2001, together with natural disasters all over the world, have
provided learning opportunities for the fire and rescue services
across the globe. Today we are able to demonstrate the capability
we now have in the UK fire and rescue services to deal with major
incidents.
“I think the
public should be assured that in the event of any manmade or
natural disaster, AF&RS is ready to respond, 24 hours a day,
seven days a week with highly trained professionals using state of
the art equipment."
Find out where the new USAR Station is on 'Google
Maps'.
More about USAR
There are lots of different causes of USAR incidents. They
include accidental events, such as earthquakes and severe weather
conditions, like storms, snow, ice and floods and events that are
deliberate such as malicious, criminal or terrorist acts which may
result in structural instability or collapse of buildings or any
other structures.
USAR incidents could involve:
- large numbers of trapped casualties and fatalities;
- unstable or collapsed structure(s);
- a major transport incident;
- a land slide which needs structural help; or
- the aftermath of an explosion - for example a gas leak or
bomb.
The new USAR Station will deliver the ability to
respond to any incident, whether deliberate or accidental,
involving unstable or collapsed structures, or following a major
transport incident.
USAR includes the ability to:
- carry out initial search, identification and location of
trapped casualties;
- rescue trapped casualties from unstable or collapsed
environments; and
- provide and maintain safe working conditions during
an incident.
Avon Fire & Rescue Service has a large amount of specialist
USAR equipment including:
- propping and shoring equipment - ‘Paratech aluminium struts’,
plus thirteen tonnes of timber; and
- concrete breeching and breaking equipment - including
demolition hammers and core drills;
- technical search equipment - such as sound location equipment
and remote search cameras;
- an all terrain vehicle.
USAR and New Dimension enhance and support existing
local and specialist capability. The equipment and resources used
by USAR will also be available for use by fire and rescue services
during other incidents if needed.