International Search & Rescue Advisory Group
Department for International Development
Department for Communities & Local Government
BBC News Front Page
UK Resilience Site
Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System
European Union Civil Protection
 
  2008 National Exercise
  The National Exercise for those search and rescue teams that form the UK International Search and Rescue Group (UKISARG) took place from June 26th to June 29th 2008 at Fort Widley in Hampshire. This exercise is the supported by the Department for International Development (DFID) to allow members of UKISARG to exercise within the agreed combined heavy team structure as preparation for real deployments.
search dog in action
 
Department for International Development
Hampshire FRS
  Exercise Objectives
The exercise was prepared with the following objectives in mind:
exercise command support team
To exercise the UKISARG combined heavy USAR team structure.
To practice overall team assembly and deployment to a worksite simulating overseas mobilisation conditions.
To exercise team self-sufficiency in the areas of feeding, water, hygiene and ablutions.
To evaluate the command and logistics systems of the overall combined team.
To provide a series of practical scenarios incorporating a wide range of USAR scenarios.
To provide an opportunity for the different UKISARG teams to work together as a combined team in a realistic scenario.
       
  Exercise Mobilisation
 

The UKISARG Combined Heavy Team assembled at an ‘airport’ in Winchester from 2100hrs onwards on the evening of Thursday 26th June. Once assembled, a joint command group then organised the team and got all the equipment loaded onto the ‘aircraft’ ready for take-off.

Due to 'delays' in departure, all personnel had to sleep on the floor of the airport terminal until an early morning departure. The ‘aircraft’, safely transported the complete team to the exercise site along with the loaded equipment, where they arrived around 09:00 on Thursday morning. On arrival at the site the team established communications with the local emergency forces, which had been operating for about 24 hours since the disaster occurred. Once a plan was agreed, the Combined Heavy Team had to build their base of operations (BoO) and begin search and rescue operations.

The operational phase of the exercise ran continuously, responding to exercise injects, until late on Saturday night and the teams departed during Sunday morning. A full report will follow.

 
the exercise base of operations
 
The Exercise 'Base of Operations' situated high on Portsdown Hill overlooking the city of Portsmouth, Hampshire.
 
       
       
Home : Exercise