22:00 07/02/06
The national rescue exercise for the UK overseas response teams will start on the 5th March as a disaster hits Hampshire - yet again. Once more Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service will host this event, scheduled this year to be the biggest and longest search and rescue exercise yet held in the UK. The final rescues will probably be achieved by the participating teams sometime on the Wednesday night, nearly 80 hours after the exercise starts.

There will be two significant differences this year, firstly the country's top volunteer teams will also be participating and secondly the exercise will be used to test the UK's overseas response in front of a panel of international experts. The panel will adjudicate on the standard of the UK response as part of a process of classification by the United Nations. The UK is one of the first international teams to submit itself to this process and that has attracted interest and observers from across Europe and the globe.

21:00 18/10/05
A team from UKFSSART has just returned from a successful European Union exercise being held in Catania in Sicily. The team, led by Dave Dickson and comprising of personnel from Cheshire, West Midlands, Greater Manchester, South Wales and West Sussex Fire & Rescue Services was one of five international teams sent to support local Italian emergency services during the exercise, which simulated a major earthquake occurring off the Sicilian coast.

The team provided technical rescue equipment and expertise as well as command support for the international teams from France, Sweden, Portugal and Greece. Team members worked well with their international colleagues and with the local emergency crews during the two-day exercise, providing more evidence of the capability of UKFSSART and giving individuals a valuable learning opportunity.

This was the first time ever that UKFSSART has fielded two completely separate teams overseas at different venues at the same time and demonstrates the increasing capability of the UK search and rescue community to respond to the challenges ahead.

20:30 18/10/05:
The remaining personnel from the West Midlands Fire Service arrived back at East Midlands Airport this evening following their deployment to the earthquake in Pakistan.

This was one of the most successful search and rescue missions ever mounted, the UK teams rescued a total of 13 people, 7 in Islamabad and 6 from the Muzaffarabad area. This was approximately 50% of the total rescues carried out by all the international rescue teams responding to the disaster.

Keith Ring, the UK Team Leader said, "This deployment was one of the longest ever undertaken by UKFSSART and certainly the most successful with a total of 13 live rescues being undertaken by teams from the UK. The success of the deployment was down to the fact that we were mobilised quickly, arrived in country early and the professionalism demonstrated by all team players who had to work in extreme conditions in a country whose infrastructure had totally collapsed. Scenes encountered were very harrowing and we all wished we could have done more. However, given the constraints that we had to work within I am convinced that we could not have achieved more."

Keith added, "The UK contingent demonstrated to the UN that we are able to offer a very professional response to this type of disaster and I am certain that we will find ourselves being more involved in the future with the whole range of humanitarian aid."

 

06:30 16/10/05:
The UK Search and Rescue Team arrived back at East Midlands Airport at 02:00 this morning. The search dogs have been located temporary homes in various quarantine kennels and the team members returned to their respective homes. Each team will undergo an internal debrief and the team leaders will debrief the deployment with DFID representatives at a date and venue to be arranged.

 

22:30 15/10/05:
The UK team left Islamabad this afternoon on their return journey to the UK via Dubai.

 

22:30 14/10/05:
Following delays in transit, the UK Team arrived in Islamabad this afternoon and are being looked after by staff at the High Commission office. Five members of the West Midlands Fire Service under the leadership of Alan Pellowe have volunteered to remain in Muzaffarabad where they are assisting the UN in the administration of the OSOCC.

 

22:30 12/10/05:
The UK teams had tremendous success in their search and rescue operations today. Working in the surrounding villages around Muzaffarabad they rescued a further 5 casualties trapped since the earthquake hit the area. Many of these villages had not been reached by rescue teams until today. Team members reported seeing thousands of injured victims, many have still to receive treatment. There are also many bodies still buried in the rubble of the collapsed villages.

When this report was received, fire service personnel from Lincolnshire and search dogs from BIRD were involved in yet another search where a casualty has been confirmed. The team are hoping for another successful rescue during the night.

Due to these successes, the UN have decided to extend the search and rescue phase for at least another 24 hours. Fresh SAR teams have now joined the rescue operation in Muzaffarabad, making the difficult journey up from Islamabad. Because of the presence of fresh teams and the conditions that the UK team have been working under it has been decided to withdraw the UK team from active operations after tonight. Tomorrow they will start the return journey to Islamabad by road. This will not be an easy journey and it is anticipated that withdrawal may take 48 hours to achieve. All personnel remain fit and well.

 

09:30 12/10/05:
A further report from Keith Ring, UKFSSART Team Leader, has been received this morning via satellite phone. He reports that search and rescue operations in Muzaffarabad continued overnight with the teams returning to the BoO around about 02:30 when conditions became too hazardous. Operations resumed at 07:45 with teams being deployed by helicopter to surrounding villages. Currently the teams are investigating 2 possible entrapments. SARAID joined the other UK teams yesterday and they are now involved in a rescue operation of 1 casualty.

West Midlands personnel continue to support the OSOCC with good effect and the UK team have a central role in the coordination of all the international rescue efforts in the area. A meeting was held this morning and it is likely that the UN will declare the rescue phase in the Muzaffarabad area complete at the end of today's operations. It is anticipated that the UK search and rescue teams will withdraw shortly afterwards and are anticipating a return to the UK at some point in the coming weekend. All personnel remain fit and well.

 

14:30 11/10/05:
A further report from Keith Ring, UKFSSART Team Leader, has been received today via satellite phone. He reports that search and rescue operations are continuing with one live casualty rescued by another team overnight. The weather conditions are currently very poor with thunderstorms and heavy rain affecting the Muzaffarabad area. This has resulted in the BoO becoming flooded with further landslides hampering search and rescue operations and transport in and out of the area. The OSOCC is working well but overrun due to the number of rescue teams wishing to be deployed and this deployment is slow due to the weather and the military organisation.

Large US transport helicopters and much needed food relief are expected to arrive within the next few hours, but the team are all OK with sufficient food and water. A meeting will be held tonight between the UN and Search & Rescue Team Leaders to ascertain the likely length of the rescue phase. It is anticipated that a decision will be made on this tomorrow and consequently plans for return to the UK will follow from this decision.

 

07:30 11/10/05:
Communications have improved overnight with the teams in Pakistan. In Islamabad, RAPID UK have been involved in the rescue of a mother and child during the night from the ruins of the apartment block that collapsed during the earthquake.

In Muzaffarabad, the fire service personnel from the West Midlands are fully engaged with the UNDAC personnel in the running and organisation of the OSOCC (On-Site Operational Coordination Center), which is coordinating the rescue efforts of all the international and local teams involved in rescue operations in the immediate area of Pakistan controlled Kashmir. All the UK team are now at the new BoO (Base of Operations) in Muzaffarabad. The teams continued to be deployed through the night but no new live finds were reported.

The Pakistani military have now taken the lead in the organisation of the rescue efforts and the search and rescue teams are only being mobilised once they detail specific buildings that require searching. The teams have been unable to get out to surrounding villages as there is no access apart from helicopters, roads are still blocked by landslides and fallen bridges. The helicopters are being primarily used for relief effort and movement of personnel.

Some of the fire service teams have been deployed this morning with the remainder taking a brief opportunity to rest and get some food and water, we are still in the rescue phase as it is believed that that there are still live casualties to be found. All of team are fit and in good spirits being well cared for by the team doctor and nurse.

 

22:30 10/10/05:
Satellite communications have been poor today, however the rescue teams remain heavily committed in Islamabad and in Muzaffarabad. Successful rescues have taken place in both locations and morale remains high with the prospect of further rescues still to be made. Personnel have worked through the previous night and during today undertaking many primary searches and a few rescues. All the rescues have been prolonged and Pete Stephenson, the Operations Commander, reports one male casualty in Muzaffarabad was released alive and in good shape after a 3 hour operation. All personnel are in good health.

DFID have today stood down the second rota of teams (Hampshire, Kent, West Sussex and Essex) who have been standing by should a second deployment be required to the Pakistan area.

 

16:30 09/10/05:
UKFRSSART coordinator Keith Ring reports that the UK team has had to split its resources due to the widespread nature of the disaster and the difficulties experienced with the transport infrastructure. He and the Greater Manchester fire service team, together with IRC and BIRD are conducting rescue operations in the Muzaffarabad area. There have assessed a number of locations where people are reported trapped, however much equipment is still waiting to be transported from Islamabad. Much of the building stock has totally collapsed, and the team have concluded that overall survivability for those in the structures at the time of collapse is low.

The helicopters that transported them to Muzaffarabad have now stopped flying because of darkness and bad weather and they are not expecting any support until dawn tomorrow. A small fire service team from the West Midlands are assisting the UNDAC personnel in setting up an OSOCC in Muzaffarabad ready for the morning when a significant number of rescue teams are expected to arrive in the town. There are no reports of injuries and all personnel remain fit and well.

 

14:00 09/10/05:
The scheduled BA flight (with 15 RAPID members), followed by the charter flight (with 38 UKFSSART personnel + 1 canine, 8 BIRD members + 1 canine, 4 CANIS members + 2 canines, 14 IRC members and 10 Rapid UK members) have both arrived safely in Islamabad.

The first Rapid UK team has been deployed to the collapsed tower blocks in Islamabad itself and have been involved in a number of rescues already. Using technical search devices the team have detected a number of people who were subsequently rescued. More people are thought to be trapped and alive at this location.

 

20:30 08/10/05:
The UK Government has decided to dispatch the UK search & rescue team under the terms of a bilateral agreement with the Government of Pakistan. The team will leave East Midlands Airport around midnight (08/10/05) on an aircraft chartered by the Department of International Development, arriving in Islamabad in the afternoon 09/10/05. The team consists of 38 UKFSSART members and 37 NGO members together with 4 canines and a small medical team.

 

14:30 08/10/05:
DFID have authorised the pre-positioning of UK search and rescue teams to East Midlands Airport, anticipating a request from the Pakistani Government. The Deployment Commander will be Peter Stephenson from Greater Manchester supported by Keith Ring, HMFSI. The fire service response will include the on-duty teams, a doctor and trauma nurse, a canine team from Lincolnshire and a small command support team from West Midlands FRS. Further information will follow.

 

09:45 08/10/05:
Following discussions with the DFID Duty Officer, the on-duty teams (Grampian, Greater Manchester, Lincolnshire and Lancashire) have been sent preliminary alert notifications and medical personnel have also been put on stand-by. The UKFSSART Co-ordinator continues to monitor the situation.

 

09:00 08/10/05:
A major earthquake shook cities and villages across the south Asian subcontinent this morning, including the Pakistan capital Islamabad where scores of people were feared killed or trapped when two buildings collapsed. Officials said heavy casualties were expected in the north of Pakistan, but details were difficult to obtain because telephone lines were down and mobile networks overwhelmed.

22:00 02/07/05:
The UKFSSART team led by Keith Ring, have today returned to the UK from a huge international USAR exercise in Poland. The week-long exercise and training event was organised by the Polish emergency fire and rescue authorities and was designed to test the response of various European Union (EU) civil protection intervention assets. The exercise was built around the scenario of a town devastated by an earthquake, the local rescuers requiring support from European specialist USAR and HAZMAT teams.

A detailed debrief will be undertaken but initial feedback indicated that the new vehicles and equipment, provided by the New Dimension Programme, performed very well, providing the UK responders with capabilities not previously seen. Comments received from other international responders were very positive, one said, "the British team really had got their act together, I was really impressed by the capabilities of the vehicles and equipment, particularly the ToolCat which was a great bit of kit".

14:45 23/06/05:
The outline plans for 'Widley Week' 2005 have just been announced by Hampshire FRS. Taking place from November 10th (Thursday) through to November 16th (Wednesday), the event will involve an extended rescue exercise intended to simulate an overseas deployment followed by specific training opportunities that evolve from the exercise. The F&RS teams and other organisations supporting the DFID-sponsored overseas USAR capability will be invited to attend and further details will be available in due course.

Contact: Peter Crook +44 7818 095422

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