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
 
  Dean Farrar Street, London
  London Fire Brigade’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams were called on to use their full range of specialist equipment to rescue a trapped construction worker from a collapsed building in Westminster in mid-June. Three USAR modules were mobilised to the building in Dean Farrar Street – a few hundred yards from New Scotland Yard - at around 4pm on Tuesday,12 June 2007. The top two storeys (fourth and fifth floors) of the five storey office block, which was being refurbished, had partially collapsed, leaving a builder trapped on the third floor.
Dean Farrar Street
  Successful Rescue  
  The successful rescue operation, which hit the national news headlines, involved seven fire engines, three Fire Rescue Units and over 50 firefighters, as well as the USAR teams. State of the art USAR equipment was used during the operation, including listening devices and special cameras which were used in small voids to assist operators to locate the trapped casualty. A 150 foot crane was used to lift rubble away. Steady progress was made by the Brigade’s USAR teams throughout Tuesday evening and into the early hours of Wednesday to rescue the trapped man.
  Contacting the Casualty    
  The trapped man, a builder from Eastern Europe, was conscious during the rescue, and voice contact was made with him at an early stage. Rescue teams were able to lower communications equipment to him so he was kept updated on the progress of the rescue via an interpreter. Other specialist equipment enabled the USAR teams to make safe areas to work in and to shore up the building as they made their way towards the trapped man. The rescue process took 9 hours because of the risk that the whole building structure could collapse if the debris trapping the man was removed. At around 2.30am, the construction worker was rescued by the combined use of both USAR and line rescue techniques and taken by air ambulance to the Royal London Hospital.
London USAR personnel access the casualty
  Coordinated Response  
  Area Manager Dave Scott, Head of London Fire Brigade’s Special Operations Group, said: “This was a difficult, hazardous, but ultimately highly successful rescue, which took several hours and demonstrated what a valuable addition to the Brigade’s capabilities the training and introduction of specialist USAR and line rescue equipment and training have proved to be. “
  “Throughout, our urban search and rescue teams worked closely with the London Ambulance Service, the Helicopter Emergency Response Service, the Metropolitan Police and Westminster Council. The co-ordinated response was a testament to the close working relationship of all the emergency services and local authorities.”

The Health and Safety Executive is investigating the cause of the building collapse.