Central Scotland Fire and Rescue USAR Team

What is USAR ?

The UK has a successful record for urban search and rescue. But the New Dimension programme enhances this expertise. The USAR capability includes equipment to lift, cut and remove rubble from collapsed structures, and to locate and rescue casualties.

There are lots of different causes of USAR incidents. They include accidental events, such as earthquakes and severe weather conditions, like storms, snow, ice and floods and events that are deliberate such as malicious, criminal or terrorist acts which may result in structural instability or collapse of buildings or any other structures.

New skills include working in confined spaces, safe working at heights carrying out search and rescue operations in a multi-level collapsed building, technical search, and shoring, breaking and breaching skills, lifting and moving, using basic principles, coupled with modern technology, to move and stabilise heavy masses.

The programme was established following the September 11 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre.