Fire service historian and author

Roger Mardon

www.romar.org.uk

© Copyright Roger Mardon

www.romar.org.uk

All rights reserved

Home | Books | Galleries | Facts | News | Help! | Links | Contact | Terms of Use

Previous

Next

MAN LE8.140 / Alloy Bodies temporary USAR unit.

Similar vehicles were also used as temporary incident response units pending delivery of the purpose-built appliances.

Thirteen UK fire brigades had already established international search and rescue teams before the events of 11 September 2001 in America. Afterwards, they expanded their remit to respond to collapsed structure incidents within the UK. The New Dimension programme has provided equipment and training to expand the urban search and rescue (USAR) capability for the fire and rescue service at home.

In support of this specialist capability, the thirteen brigades were provided with temporary urban search and rescue vehicles with new tools and equipment.  A further six temporary units were delivered to additional brigades to provide a national coverage. The vehicles were anonymous box vans with a minimum of high visibility striping, blue lights and small FIRE SERVICE markings. They provided an interim capability until extra equipment and the specially designed permanent USAR vehicles were brought into service.

The new equipment supplied includes

• Technical search cameras
• Listening devices and communication probes
• Cutting, drilling and breaking equipment
• Timber cutting work stations
• Propping and shoring equipment
• Lighting and power generation
• Hand tools
• Heavy capacity air lifting bags

Kent’s temporary USAR unit was mobilised on 6 June 2004 to a gas explosion in Faversham that completely destroyed two terraced houses and damaged 22 others. Further details and pictures of this incident can be seen on the Faversham Explosion pages of this web site.

Twenty complete USAR units have been established. A full unit comprises three prime movers and five demountable modules of various types. Canine support with a trained search dog for each unit was originally planned and after some delay, occasioned by reconsideration of the proposal, has been funded since 2007/08. Fire & rescue services not wanting to host canine teams are permitted to use the funding to contract in a dog and handler.

The modules were supplied and fitted out by John Dennis Coachbuilders.

Prime mover and USAR Module 1

Prime mover and USAR Module 4

Module 2 - also comes with a prime mover (PM) and contains heavy cutting, heavy lifting, and confined space and rope access equipment for use in major transport-related incidents, especially those involving rail or aircraft.

Module 3 - has been developed to support Module 1 at structural collapse incidents and includes timber support, heavy breaking and breaching tools, heavy lifting and moving equipment, access platforms, and lighting.

Module 4 - consists of a prime mover (PM) and a drop-side unit which carries the logistics and servicing structure, and a Bobcat Toolcat 5600 4-wheel-drive multi-purpose vehicle which can be used for transporting equipment to an incident site, unloading modules and moving rubble to clear sites.

Module 5 - comprises a flat-bed unit containing 10 tons of pre-cut timber for shoring and cribbing unstable structures.

Module 1 - is issued with a prime mover (PM) and has been designed to support USAR operations over the first few hours of a major structural collapse incident. The extensive equipment cache provides for scene assessment, technical search, electricity generation, scene safety, lighting, safe working at height, timber cutting, and concrete cutting & drilling.

New Dimension

Incident response units

Prime movers

High volume pumping units

Urban search & rescue units

Disrobe and re-robe modules

DIM units

Enhanced command support vehicles

Back to top

To see Kent's USAR team in action on exercise, click here.

West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service was part of the original United Kingdom search & rescue capability but is not one of the 20 teams designated under the New Dimension programme. It is however designated as the Logistics Team for overseas incidents involving the United Kingdom International Search & Rescue Team (UKISART) and has been allocated most of the spare equipment which it can also use within the county.

And to see Kent's USAR Centre, click here.

Multi-purpose vehicles are Toolcat 5600 4x4 utility vehicles manufactured by Bobcat.

Canine support vans are provided by services hosting USAR teams according to their own preferences.

Delivery of USAR units was due to be completed by November 2007 and they are deployed as follows