SOG 5-06 “USAR” TECHNICAL RESCUE PROCEDURES
A. Scope:
This operational guideline shall be utilized for the request of The Urban Search and Rescue
team is known as NJTF-1 for search and rescue to victims trapped in heavy reinforced masonry
collapsed structures.
B. Guidelines:
1. Requests for an emergency response
a.Incident Commander may request the activation of the NJTF-1.
b. Requesting parties include fire chiefs, police, OEM Coordinators, and local or county government officials.
c. The OIC shall notify the Communications Center, who in turn will notify the New Jersey State Police Office of Emergency Management.
d. The NJTF-1 will work with the local OIC, and will not “take over” the incident.
2.Activation of NJTF-1
a. An Incident Support Team (IST) will be dispatched to the incident location to:
i. Assess team needs and applications.
ii.Decide if components or the entire team will be activated.
b.The USAR Task Forces are able to deploy typically within six (6) hours of notification.
c. The USAR Task Force can provide “round-the-clock” operations (two 12-hour shifts).
d. The USAR Task Force is self-sufficient:
i.For the first seventy-two (72) hours
ii.Has full compliment of equipment to support its operation
iii.Funded by State and Federal Resources for logistical support
e.Small-scale incidents
i. Individual components may be requested on a limited call-out rather than a full team deployment.
3.Components of NJTF-1
a. The search element will include physical, canine, and electronic.
b. The rescue element can conduct rescue operations in all types of structures.
c.The medical element is primarily responsible for the care and treatment of
task force members and entrapped victims during extrication.
d. The technical element provides personnel competent in structural integrity assessments, hazardous materials, heavy equipment and rigging, communications and logistics.
e.The command element is lead by a Task Force Leader (TFL) and is organizationally at the same level as any Strike Team/Task Force.
f. The “TFL” is assisted by a USAR Task Force Safety Officer and Plans Officer.
g. The Task Force is unique in that unlike other task forces, it is designed to be used as a “single resource”. It should not be disassembled to make use of individual task force elements.
C. Definitions:
1. USAR – Urban Search and Rescue
2. NJTF-1 New Jersey Task Force #1 is a sixty-two-person team comprised of individuals from throughout New Jersey. The team is headquartered at Lakehurst Naval Air Station and is available for response to any specialized or technical rescue incident. The team is comprised of five elements including command, rescue, search, technical, and medical, that utilizes tools and techniques not readily available to local resources.
3. USAR Equipment – Tools and technology used by the USAR Team includes: concrete chain saws, search, cameras, canines, heavy lifting/ moving@ equipment, fiber optics, and seismic locating devices.
4. IST – Incident Support Team