ESF 9 - Temp - SAR

Emergency Support Function (ESF) #9

Search and Rescue

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Primary Agencies

Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office

Harrisonburg Police Department

Harrisonburg Fire Department

Rockingham County Department of Fire & Rescue

Secondary/Support Agencies

Emergency Management

The City of Harrisonburg, Rockingham County Departments of Public Works

Salvation Army

American Red Cross

Civil Air Patrol

Volunteer Search and Rescue Groups

Virginia Department of Emergency Management

Volunteer Fire & Rescue Squads

Introduction

Purpose:

Emergency Support Function #9 (Search and Rescue) provides for the coordination and effective use of available resources to search for and rescue people in potential or actual distress.

Scope:

The locality is susceptible to many different natural and technical hazards that may result in the damage or collapse of structures within the City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Search and Rescue must be prepared to respond to emergency events and provide special life-saving assistance. Their operational activities include locating, extricating, and providing on site medical treatment to victims trapped in collapsed structures. In addition to this, people may be lost, missing, disoriented, traumatized, or injured in which case the search and rescue agency must be prepared to respond to these incidents and implement search and rescue tactics to assist those who are, or believed to be, in distress or imminent danger. This type of search operation predominantly occurs in “open field” situations, such as parks, neighborhoods, or other open terrain.

Policies:

The EOP provides the guidance for managing the coordination and acquisition of Search and Rescue resources.

All requests for Search and Rescue will be submitted to the EOC for coordination, validation, and/or action in accordance with this ESF.

Communications will be established and maintained with ESF #5 (Emergency Management) for reporting and receiving assessments and status information.

Will coordinate with Virginia and Federal agencies when necessary.

Personnel will stay up to date with procedures through training and education; and

Search and rescue task forces are considered Federal assets under the Robert T. Stafford Act only when requested for a search and rescue for a collapsed structure.

Concept of Operations

General:

The Harrisonburg Fire Department, Rockingham County Department of Fire & Rescue, Harrisonburg Police Department and Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office will be responsible for rescue and search operations during a disaster. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers will also assist with other functions of search and rescue as needed.

Organization:

The Harrisonburg Fire Department and Rockingham Department of Fire & Rescue will be the primary agencies in any urban search and rescue operation and along with the Community Development Department (Building Officials Office), the Department of Public Works (ESF #3) will assist when required for structural evaluation. The Police Department will be the primary agency in any ground searches in the City of Harrisonburg. The County Sheriff’s Office and Fire & Rescue manage grounds services jointly in Rockingham County. The local chapter of the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army will assist with support efforts during searches such as mass care feeding; sheltering; bulk distribution; logistics; and health and mental health services for rescue workers, support personnel and the victims. The City of Harrisonburg, Rockingham County Department of Public Works will assist with any equipment, staff, and vehicles. In a secondary role the local law enforcement agency will assist with perimeter security, communications, and assistance as required. The Harrisonburg Fire Department, as a secondary role, will provide medical resources, equipment and expertise. Rockingham County Department of Fire & Rescue, which includes all volunteer rescue squads, will provide medical resources, equipment and expertise as needed.

Communications will be established and maintained with ESF #5 (Emergency Management) to report and receive assessments and status information.

Actions:

Develop and maintain plans and procedures to implement search and rescue operations in time of emergency.

Provide emergency medical treatment and pre-hospital care to the injured.

Assist with the warning, evacuation, and relocation of citizens during a disaster.

The designated representatives should report to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). When necessary assign duties to all personnel.

Follow established procedures in responding to urban search and rescue incidents; and

Record disaster related expenses.

Responsibilities

Manages search and rescue task force deployment to, employment in, and redeployment from the affected area.

Coordinates logistical support for search and rescue during field operations.

Develops policies and procedures for effective use and coordination of search and rescue.

Provides status reports on search and rescue operations throughout the affected area; and

Request further assistance from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management for additional resources.

Emergency Support Function #9 – Attachment 1

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The Police Department, Fire Department and Rescue Squad should establish and maintain a primary missing person search and rescue team of at least four persons with one designated “team leader” or officer. The team leader must (1) organize and maintain the records, (2) assemble and maintain the equipment and supplies necessary for search and rescue operations.

Should personnel outside the Police Department be designated as primary team members, official agreements should be made defining under what circumstances they will be utilized for both training and actual operations.

In time of emergency, should the Police Department or Fire Department not have an adequate capability, or should additional resources or expertise be required, contact the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. This agency can coordinate with and dispatch search and rescue resources, including search dog teams, anywhere in the state on short notice.

The Sheriff’s Office and Department of Fire & Rescue have joint responsibility for land-based search and rescue. There is a separate Search and Rescue Standard Operating Guideline developed for this type of operation in Rockingham County. This guideline specifies procedures, resources, etc. for ground searches.