979 Rescue - 25 Collapsed Structures Flashcards
(40 cards)
Who has full powers to deal with structures which become dangerous?
Local authorities
Who are the concerned local authorities for Greater London?
- city corporation
- inner London borough councils. Acting through DSE
What can be done awaiting arrival of DSE?
Urgent safeguarding through cordoning off an area by errection of barriers
Who is ‘NESST’?
National Emergency Services Support Task Force
How would NESST be requested?
Via the USAR advisor
Why is it important to preserve evidence at a collapsed structure?
Police and HSE will need to investigate
List some of the risks of injury at a collapsed structure
- obstructed/restricted access
- restricted vision I.e smoke
- underfoot conditions
- falling objects
- overhanging hazards
- airborne particulate
- o2 deficient atmosphere
- secondary collapse
- weight/position of casualties
- bulk/weight of debris
- explosive/flammable atmospheres
- further acts of terrorism
What measures should be considered?
- request DSE early on
- request UA it not already on pda
- request specialist teams from partner agencies
- establish early RVP
- appliances and equipment may cause vibration and further collapse
- doors/windows should not be forced
- keep close to walls if floors are weakened
- maintain liaison with/control of specialist contractors and rescue personnel activities
- isolate utilities before rescues
Why would you not force any doors/windows?
They might be wedged in a position that is supporting a load
Should you cut any water/gas pipes or electrical cables?
No - some supplies might not have been located and isolated
What are the operational procedures?
- ic carry out initial survey and DRA
- ic formulate plan
- request DSE and UA
- methodical reduces, easily achievable moving onto complex
- actions are systematic and co-ordinated
- 6 stages of rescue to assist the ic
- progression will take time
- early RVP is important
- ic must appoint safety officers
- agreed evacuation signal and assemble point
- only minimum personnel used
- emergency team remain ready
Can safety officers be appointed to any other tasks?
No
If an emergency team is redeployed what should happen?
A further emergency team should be assembled
6 stages of rescue - REPEAT
R - reconnaissance and survey
E - elimination of utilities
P - primary surface search and rescue
E - exploration of voids and spaces
A - access by selected debris removal
T - termination be general debris removal
Considerations for stage 1? Reconaissance and survey
- tic
- assess pattern of collapse before entering
- gather as much info as possible
- last known locations of casualties
- obtain list of people normally in the building
Considerations for stage 2? Elimination of utilities
- all utilities must be evaluated and controlled for safety
- best practice is to shut down all utilities
- request utility representatives to attend incident for advice and assistance
Considerations for stage 3? Primary surface search and rescue
- ic must prioritise individual rescue sites and determine what resources to commit
- ic must appoint sector managers and safety officers
- small organised teams should systematically search the surface
- cordon tape used to identity searched areas and potential casualty locations
- half of survivors found near the surface early on
- remove all surface casualties quickly and safely
- ensure rescue staff do not become casualties
- don’t be misled by outward appearance of a structure
Why should you not be misled by the outward appearance of a structure?
- a settled pile of debris could lack any genuine support
- secondary collapse
Considerations for stage 4? Exploration of voids and spaces
- all voids and accessible spaces must be searched
- explore visually or with use of tic
- at approx every hour, work should be shut down for a few minutes to listen for calls of help or noises
- attempts made to stop or reduce all noise and vibration from surrounding sources inc helicopters
Considerations for stage 5? Access by selected debris removal
- selected debris removal may be necessary after location a casualty
- remove only certain obstructions that are blocking access to casualty
- info concerning casualty locations
Considerations for stage 6? Terminate by general debris removal
- conducted after all known casualties removed
Exceptions - persons unaccounted for
- large amount of debris impairing operations
- decision to use heavy machinery given serious consideration, specialist when live casualties still possibly present
How will USAR teams operate?
Under authority of the ic who in turn will be advisers on all USAR related matters by then
What is a NGO?
Non government organisation
What is an NGO?
Several organisations that exist to offer a capability in search and rescue
