International Search and Rescue Advisory Group

The International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) is a network of disaster-prone and disaster-responding countries and organizations dedicated to urban search and rescue (USAR) and operational field coordination. It aims to establish standards and classification for international USAR teams as well as methodology for international response coordination in the aftermath of earthquakes and collapsed structure disasters. The INSARAG Secretariat is located in the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Establishment

INSARAG was established in 1991 following initiatives of international USAR teams that responded to the 1988 Armenia earthquake and the 1985 Mexico City earthquake.[1] The United Nations was chosen as the INSARAG Secretariat to facilitate international participation and coordination. INSARAG Secretariat is hosted in the Emergency Response Section (ERS) of the Response Support Branch (RSB) (which was called in the past "Field Coordination Support Section of the Emergency Services Branch") of OCHA in Geneva.[2]

INSARAG activities are guided by UN General Assembly Resolution 57/150 of 16 December 2002 on "Strengthening the Effectiveness and Coordination of International Urban Search and Rescue Assistance" and by the INSARAG Hyogo Declaration adopted at the first INSARAG Global Meeting in 2010 in Kobe, Japan.

The INSARAG Mandate entails the development of effective international USAR procedures and operational standards, implementation of UN General Assembly Resolution 57/150 of 22 December 2002 on "Strengthening the effectiveness and coordination of USAR assistance", improving cooperation and coordination amongst international USAR teams at disaster sites, promoting activities to improve USAR preparedness in disaster prone countries, development of standardized guidelines and procedures, and sharing best practices amongst national and international USAR teams and defining standards for minimum requirements of international USAR teams.

Membership

Any country or organization with a stake in urban search and rescue may join INSARAG. Countries that wish to join identify a national focal point that acts as an interface with the INSARAG Regional Group and the Secretariat. Organizations wishing to join apply to the Secretariat through their national focal point. Member countries with USAR teams deploying internationally are strongly encouraged to apply for an INSARAG External Classification (IEC), however this is not a requirement to be a member of INSARAG.

INSARAG members are part of a worldwide knowledge-sharing network on collapsed structure rescue and operational field coordination. They are invited to annual meetings of the relevant INSARAG Regional Group and to participate in INSARAG working groups. The members are expected to have access to the Virtual OSOCC (Virtual On-Site Operations Coordination Centre) and the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS) on the internet, which provide alert notification in the event of a sudden-onset disaster and real-time information updates and coordination during ongoing disasters. The USAR Directory, managed by the INSARAG Secretariat, provides an overview of INSARAG member countries and their USAR teams.

Member organisations
  • Algeria:
    • Algerian Heavy Urban Search And Rescue National Unit of Training and Intervention 01 (Heavy USAR Team - 2017)
    • Algerian Heavy Urban Search And Rescue National Unit of Trainng and Intervention 01 - no IEC classification
    • Algerian SAR Team (Civil Protection) - no IEC classification
  • Argentina:
    • FEDERACION BBVV 2 DE JUNIO - no IEC classification
    • PFA BEFER - no IEC classification
    • USAR FEDERACION BOMBEROS CORDOBA - no IEC classification
    • usar salta - no IEC classification
  • Armenia:
    • Armenian USAR Team (Medium USAR Team - 2015)
  • Australia:
    • Australia Task Force 1 (Queensland) - IEC: Heavy USAR Team (IEC 2008; IER 2013; IER2 2018)
    • Australia Task Force 2 (New South Wales) - IEC: Heavy USAR Team (IEC 2012; IER 2017)
  • Austria:
    • Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit - IEC: Heavy USAR Team (IEC 2012; IER 2017)
    • Samaritan Austria Rapid Response Team - no IEC classification
    • Search and Rescue Unit Vorarlberg( Medium USAR Team - 2011)
    • Urban Search and Rescue Austria - no IEC classification
  • Azerbaijan:
    • International Search & Rescue Team - no IEC classification
    • International Search and Rescue Team of the Republic of Azerbaijan - no IEC classification
  • Belarus: Republican Special Response Team (IEC 2013; IER 2018)
  • Belgium: Belgium First Aid and Support Team ( Medium USAR Team -IEC 2010; IER 2015)
  • Bolivia: Grupo Voluntario de Salvamento Bolivia - S.A.R. - no IEC classification
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosnian SAR Team - no IEC classification
  • Brazil:
    • Corpo de Bombeiros Militar do Distrito Federal - no IEC classification
    • USAR Brazil - no IEC classification
  • Bulgaria: Civil Protection of the Republic of Bulgaria - no IEC classification
  • Canada:
    • Canada Task Force 1 - no IEC classification
    • National USAR Secretariat - no IEC classification
    • Ontario Volunteer Medical Rescue Team - no IEC classification
  • Chile:
    • Disaster International Response Team - no IEC classification
    • USAR Bomberos de Chile - IEC: Medium USAR Team (IEC 2017)
  • China:
    • China International Search and Rescue (CHN-1) - IEC: Heavy USAR Team (IEC 2009; IER 2014; IER2 2019)
    • China International Search and Rescue (CHN-2) - IEC: Heavy USAR Team (IEC 2019)
  • Columbia:
    • COL-1 USAR Colombia SNGRD - IEC: Medium USAR Team (IEC 2018)
    • COL-11 Unidad de Operaciones Especiales en Emergencias y Desastres PONALSAR - no IEC classification
    • COL-12 Cuerpo Oficial de Bomberos de Bogota - no IEC classification
    • COL-13 Ejercito Nacional de Colombia - Comando de Ingenieros - no IEC classification
    • COL-14 Benemerito Cuerpo de Bomberos Voluntarios de Chinchina - no IEC classification
    • COL-16 Defensa Civil Colombiana Seccional Caldas - no IEC classification
    • COL-17 Cruz Roja Colombiana Seccional Quindio - no IEC classification
  • Germany:
  • Iceland: ICE-SAR
  • Russia:
    • Central Airmobile Rescue Team of EMERCOM of Russia - IEC: Heavy USAR Team (2011)
    • Siberian Regional Search and Rescue Team of EMERCOM of Russia[3]
  • Turkey:
  • United Kingdom: International Rescue Corps
  • United States:
    • United States Agency for International Development
    • US Agency for International Development-Los Angeles County Fire (Heavy USAR Team - 2007)
  • Ukraine : Mobile Rescue Center of Ukraine (Heavy USAR Team - 2014)

References
  1. "INSARAG - International Search and Rescue Advisory Group: Overview". OCHA. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  2. "Structure". www.insarag.org. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-11-11. Retrieved 2013-11-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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