The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) conducted a practical comprehensive drill simulating actual search and rescue activities of the Japan Disaster Relief Team (JDR), which is dispatched to large-scale disasters overseas, from May 11 to 13 at the Hyogo Prefectural Disaster Prevention Center and Miki Disaster Prevention Park, following last November. The training was held under adverse conditions with heavy rainfall at the Hyogo Prefectural Wide-Area Disaster Prevention Center and Miki Disaster Prevention Park from May 11 to May 13.
The JDR Rescue Team was certified by INSARAG (International Search and Rescue Advisory Group) as a top heavy team in 2010 and re-certified in 2015. This year, the team is scheduled to undergo the INSARAG External Re-Certification (IER) in November, so the team invited a mentor from the United States, who has been providing technical guidance to the team for many years, and two other rescue team members from the same country to participate in the re-certification process. The program was conducted by inviting a mentor from the U.S. and two rescue team members from the U.S.
The comprehensive training was conducted to improve the readiness of rescue teams to search and rescue people left behind in collapsed buildings after a major earthquake disaster, and to confirm that the teams were proficient enough to pass the IER examination for search and rescue techniques defined by international standards.
On the morning of May 11, the 74 members and 4 rescue dogs who participated in the drill gathered at a facility in Kobe City, which was assumed to be at Narita Airport, and departed for the Hyogo Prefectural Disaster Prevention Center (Miki City), which was assumed to be in a disaster-stricken country. The team worked for 48 hours in a row, starting with a hearing at the local disaster response headquarters, setting up a campsite as a base of operations, and identifying areas for search and rescue activities (ASR2 activities; see footnote).
Rescue team members from the National Police Agency, Fire and Disaster Management Agency, and Japan Coast Guard cooperate with rescue dogs and handlers to conduct search and rescue activities ranging from searching for victims to entering buildings and rescuing them. Drills to quickly identify survivors (persons requiring rescue) in collapsed buildings that had turned to rubble were conducted in a practical environment, using training facilities dotted with structures that resembled disaster-stricken buildings.
The command headquarters, consisting of the leader, deputy leader, and others, formulated rescue operation policies and safety management plans, and coordinated activities with rescue teams from other countries. The operations coordinators, consisting of JICA staff and others, were in charge of logistics, including setting up camps, procurement and transportation of goods, distribution of food, and international coordination support.
In addition, the rescue team members and medical personnel engaged in lifesaving activities, worked with structural assessment specialists to stabilize the damaged building and ensure safety, and conducted practical training in communication, etc., as a single team. The team’s overall strength was strengthened by making efforts to communicate smoothly within and outside the team (multifunctional cooperation) by taking advantage of the characteristics of each team member.
Based on the results of this training, the JICA International Emergency Relief Team Secretariat will work to build a rescue team at a high level, worthy of being re-certified.
Footnote 1 ASR2: Sector Assessment, the second of the five levels of Assessment, Search and Rescue (ASR) activities specified in the INSARAG guidelines, to identify sites where people may be in need of rescue. ASR (Assessment, Search and Rescue)
© Source JICA