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Environment Canterbury Rescue &
Technical Support
The
RATS |
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The RATS train in the following specialist fields: Rope Rescue General Rescue Search Dogs Urban Search & Rescue The RATS personnel The team has extensively studied
overseas techniques, equipment and data to develop systems that
maximise rescuer and patient safety while performing effective rescues.
The team has standard operating procedures with clear responsibilities
and lines of command. The RATS are able to provide specialist Rope Rescue support to statutory emergency services in the Christchurch area. With the Port Hills used by the general public for recreational activities including rock climbing and abseiling as well as the many tracks and roads, this makes the team a valuable outdoor safety resource. The RATS are able to assist recovery from Motor Vehicle crashes on the Port Hills. During a declared Civil Defence emergency the Rope Rescue skills of the RATS will be used to help community rescources enable retrieval and rescue of trapped people - both above and below ground level.
General Rescue invol The RATS have a General Rescue specialisation of great regard. The combination of the intimate knowledge of the skills required to safely rescue a great deal of people in the shortest time and the ability to lead 'untrained' people, to use initiative and experience to carry out their tasks in hazardous conditions with minimal equipment is a hallmark of the RATS team. The RATS team is able to assist communities in need and provide technical rescue to support other community based rescue teams such as Hornby Community Emergency Response Team (HERT).
The RATS Search Dog U For Wilderness Search, the team are members of Canterbury Land Search and Rescue (LSAR) and are a specialist resource for missing or lost people throughout the Canterbury region. The team has also responded to searches in other places in the South Island to assist local dogs or in areas with no qualified search dogs. The team averages 5-6 callouts a year ranging
from a few hours to several days. In addition to the handlers and
dogs the team have developed specialist field support positions
to The team has been involved in the development of the USAR Search Dog capability in New Zealand including input into the newly accepted standards and organisation of the South Island USAR dog assessment weekend. Each member of the dog team has or is actively working towards USAR Category 1R – Responder Qualifications. All members of the dog team are members of the NZ USAR Search Dog Association (USAR SDA): a recently formed organisation to facilitate the training and testing of USAR search dogs in New Zealand. Two members of the team are on the Management Committee of USAR SDA.
Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) is a vital part of New Zealand's multi-agency response capability for dealing with urban emergencies. USAR involves the location and rescue of people trapped following a structural collapse arising, e.g. from a single building collapse, or as a result of a major landslide or earthquake. USAR combines the capabilities of New Zealand's emergency services and combines specialist technical task-forces with local community volunteer rescue teams. USAR training is involves similar skills to General Rescue but in a specialist format which requires special attention to hazards and personal safety, and forms another of the foundations of RATS training. The RATS have been one of the pioneering teams in the field of USAR in New Zealand. All of the RATS have the USAR Category 1 "Responder" Card qualification, 5 members of the team have reached USAR Catergory 2 "Technician" and are part of the USAR Taskforce 2 based in Christchurch. The RATS Search Dog Team have 3 dogs qualified to operate in an USAR environment and are attached to USAR Taskforce 2; and the RATS became New Zealand's first USAR registered response team, NZ-RT1, on the 26th May 2003. II HOME I NEWS I SPECIALIST I RECRUITMENT I SPONSORS I A TRIBUTE TO II All Rights Reserved. Photographs cannot be used without permission. 2004. |
ves
skills and techniques to assist people in the event of a Civil
Defence emergency when the emergency services are unable to
assist and the likelihood and risk of death to people and
damage to property on a large scale is high. These techniques
as well as disaster medicine, triage and incident management
form the basis of all RATS training. 
nit
is one of the largest and most successful in the country. It has
three dogs operational for both Urban Search and Rescue and Wilderness
Search. In addition, several other dogs are approaching operational
level in USAR and/or Wilderness, including a tracking dog to compliment
the current air-scenting dogs.
assist
the effective use of search dogs. Both handlers and field support
people need to attend courses and regularly train in First Aid,
Navigation, Bush Skills, and Communications, as well as regular
dog training.
Urban
Search & Rescue (USAR) |
