Message from: Jesper Holmer Lund

Secretary of INSARAG

and Chief FCSS, OCHA Geneva

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

The international and national urban search and rescue (USAR) community gathered for the second INSARAG global meeting and 25th anniversary of the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), from 18 to 19 October 2015, back-to-back with the three Working Groups Meetings, USAR Team Leaders Meeting and three Regional Groups Meetings on 20 October – the largest INSARAG gathering in history !  

313 participants from 94 countries and organisations and more than 200 participants from the Abu Dhabi Police attended the meeting, leading to the ‘INSARAG Abu Dhabi declaration’, INSARAG’s input to the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016.

As the UN Secretary-General said in his message on this occasion, ” As INSARAG celebrates 25 years, you should all be proud of the success this community has achieved…The ability of the network to span continents and cultures is a testament to the commitment of its members and a model of best practice for the humanitarian community” 

In the past week, I have received nothing but positive comments. As such, there is no doubt that we fully met our objectives for the series of INSARAG meetings. This astounding success surpassed all expectations, and I thank each and every one of you who contributed time, effort and commitment to making the week of INSARAG meetings in Abu Dhabi a historic and memorable event. Allow me to salute and thank again, all of you who made it possible.  

By coming together, we have shown the humanitarian community that INSARAG remains a highly relevant network and can be called upon to deliver value added life-saving assistance based on agreed standards and will continue to improve our response to be “Fit for the Future”. 

Finally, we are very grateful to the UAE, the Ministry of Interior of the UAE, for hosting this event, UN and international/regional organizations and other entities that contributed. 

Please find the session presentations in the links below for the Team Leaders and Global Meetings.

Best regards,

Jesper

Global Meeting Chariman’s Summary

Global Meeting presentations

Abu Dhabi Declaration in English

Abu Dhabi Declaration in French

Abu Dhabi Declaration in Spanish

Abu Dhabi Declaration in Chinese

Abu Dhabi Declaration in Arabic

Group photos

Team Leaders Meeting

 

95 participants from 21 countries and organizations working on urban search and rescue (USAR) gathered for the annual International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) Asia-Pacific (A-P) Regional Meeting in Xi’an, China, on 25 and 26 August, 2016.

The meeting was held in Xi’an, China, hosted by China Earthquake Administration (CEA), the INSARAG A-P Regional Chair 2016, and co-organized by OCHA in its capacity as the INSARAG Secretariat that is located in the Field Coordination Support Section (FCSS) of the Emergency Services Branch (ESB) in OCHA Geneva.

Chairman summary

Annex A

Annex B

Annex C

Annex D1

Annex D2

Annex D3

Overview

752 participants from 25 countries and organizations representing the Colombian national disaster risk management system, as well as the district level of Bogotá, the Humanitarian Country Team, the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team and its partners, and a total of 30 national and international Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams, and 21 national and international Emergency Medical Teams (EMT), gathered for the Americas SIMEX 2016, the regional earthquake response exercise, in Bogota, Colombia, from the 26 until the 30 September 2016.

The exercise was hosted by the Government of Colombia through the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (Unidad Nacional de Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres), and jointly organized with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in its capacity as Secretariat of the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), and with dedicated support of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

See a visual summary as well as the video of the SIMEX below. 

The first-ever INSARAG Global Meeting was hosted by the Government of Japan and co-organized by the United Nations OCHA as the INSARAG Secretariat in Kobe, Japan from 14-16 September 2010 to commence celebrations of INSARAG’s forthcoming 20th anniversary. The meeting had a comprehensive agenda and was attended by 188 international participants from 77 countries and organizations along with over 37 observers from Japan. 20 organisations also exhibited their capabilities.

Greetings from the Secretary-General together with a video message from Ms Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary General for OCHA were warmly welcomed by the participants. The Secretary-General said INSARAG had “come a long way” since it was founded in 1991, and he welcomed its efforts to promote greater professionalism and coordination. “There is great scope for sharing lessons learnt and using modern technology to provide even more effective support to affected communities and governments.”

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An important outcome of the INSARAG Global Meeting was the creation of the INSARAG Hyogo Declaration (EnglishFrench) with recommendations on “recognition and strengthening of international urban search and rescue operational standards” which was unanimously agreed upon by all participating countries. The giant copy of the declaration signed by all the meeting participants was handed over to the Governor of Hyogo, to be displayed at the Earthquake Museum in Kobe, Japan.

Photo INSARAG Hyogo Declaration at the Museum-1

Photo INSARAG Hyogo Declaration at the Museum-2

2010 INSARAG Global Meeting Chairman Summary (ArabicEnglish,French)

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For your reference, please find attached the administrative manual used by the United States which provides a guide to train and maintain qualified personnel for their National Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Response System. 
For further information please contact insarag@un.org who will refer you to the focal point.

Training Program Administration Manual by FEMA USA; January 2020

Other reference/documents:

Thirty Two Long Months: Syria First Responder Program by AKUT, Turkey (January 2016)

 USAR Capacity Building – National, Mongolia / Ulaanbaatar

 

Name of the Project:

USAR Capacity Building – National

Country/City:

Mongolia / Ulaanbaatar

Organization:

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)

Project description:

Project description:

On request of Mongolian National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) the implementation of a USAR capacity building project on national level started in mid-2017., aiming at upgrading NEMA’s existing Search and Rescue (SAR) capacities towards application in urban contexts (USAR), in particular Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar.

The cooperation had been initiated by an informal dialogue between NEMA, which hosted the INSARAG Asia-Pacific Earthquake Response Exercise (ERE) in June 2015, Switzerland / SDC as well as the Chinese Earthquake Administration (CEA).

During a first (pilot) phase of the project until end 2018, on the base of bilateral cooperation NEMA-SDC, 4 working groups of NEMA (Modular Training Ground/MTG, Equipment/Tools, Training and Management) developed – with support of the Swiss experts – the conceptual components of NEMA’s overall USAR mechanism, including planning of the MTG. Furthermore, some new rescue tools were purchased.

The project will be extended latest until end 2021. The ongoing second phase (until mid-2019) mainly includes the tendering and construction of the MTG as well as basic training with the new rescue tools and consultancy.

Meanwhile China has established the new Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM), which integrates several already previously existing institutions, including CEA. MEM is about to join the implementation process to support NEMA together with SDC.  

Local Implementing Counterparts:

National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)

Contact Person:

Simon Tschurr

Contact Person Phone Number:

++41 58 462 39 95

Contact Person Email Address:

simon.tschurr@eda.admin.ch


Guidelines for filling in the form:
 

  • If you have any documents related to your projects, we will also be happy to add these documents to your project. However, please bear in mind that these documents will be public.
  • If you have any projects that have been implemented by two INSARAG member countries/organisations, it is suggested that names of both countries/organizations are written under ‘organization’ field. Otherwise, if both INSARAG member countries/organisations enter the same project, then there will be double entry into the directory.
  • Please take note that this directory is only for the projects funded by the implementing country/organization without any cost to the recipient country.
  • Once you send us your projects, we will upload them to the web page. When the web page is launched, we will provide you an account. With this account, you can always enter/delete/modify your own data.
  • Please find below an example project entry: 
 JCD USAR Capacity Building – International

 

Name of the Project:

JCD USAR Capacity Building – International

Country/City:

Jordan / Amman

Organization:

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)

Project description:

Project description:

The capacity building project between SDC and its national counterpart, the Royal Jordan Civil Defence (JCD), had started in 2001 and was finalized by end 2016.

The aim of the cooperation had been to develop a centrally trained and equipped USAR entity at heavy level, in accordance with the INSARAG Guidelines, including SOPs for deployment, outdoor facilities as well as all necessary components of a canine search dog (K9) unit. With support of SDC’s expertise JDC had built – and is nowadays maintaining – a large training base for USAR specifically, including all elements for the various training phases, learning-consolidation-application.

In May 2013 JCD successfully passed its INSARAG External Classification (IEC) at the training academy outside of Amman, as the first INSARAG classified heavy USAR team in the Arab world.

The continuous technical dialogue between JCD and SDC in the meantime resulted in Switzerland/SDC’s mentorship for the IER in October 2018 within the frame of an additional small grant project JCD passed its first IER successfully.

Local Implementing Counterparts:

Royal Jordan Civil Defence

Contact Person:

Simon Tschurr

Contact Person Phone Number:

++41 58 462 39 95

Contact Person Email Address:

simon.tschurr@eda.admin.ch

 

Guidelines for filling in the form:

  • If you have any documents related to your projects, we will also be happy to add these documents to your project. However, please bear in mind that these documents will be public.
  • If you have any projects that have been implemented by two INSARAG member countries/organisations, it is suggested that names of both countries/organizations are written under ‘organization’ field. Otherwise, if both INSARAG member countries/organisations enter the same project, then there will be double entry into the directory.
  • Please take note that this directory is only for the projects funded by the implementing country/organization without any cost to the recipient country.
  • Once you send us your projects, we will upload them to the web page. When the web page is launched, we will provide you an account. With this account, you can always enter/delete/modify your own data.
  • Please find below an example project entry:

 

India / Ghaziabad, Mundali Indo Swiss Collaboration in Training Systems USAR Capacity Building – National 

 

Name of the Project:

INSWIT (Indo Swiss Collaboration in Training Systems)
USAR Capacity Building – National
 

Country/City:

India / Ghaziabad, Mundali

Organization:

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

Project description:

 

Project description:

The capacity building project between SDC and its national counterparts, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), which advises the Ministry of Home Affairs in the Disaster Preparedness and Response Programs, as well as the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) had started with first support activities in 2007 and was finalized by end 2017.

The aim of the cooperation had initially been to develop a centrally trained and equipped USAR entity at heavy level, in accordance with the INSARAG Guidelines, including SOPs for deployment, outdoor training facilities as well as all necessary components of a canine search dog (K9) unit. Initially it had been envisaged to achieve the INSARAG External Classification (IEC) in 2015.

The development of the USAR team had started in Bubaneshwar / Mundali. In July 2012 the Indian partners decided to change the location to Ghaziabad (near Delhi) in order to ease international deployment due to the vicinity of the international airport. In 2015, following some changes in the central government, the project partners shifted their focus from the development of an internationally deployable USAR entity towards capacity building on national level. Subsequently, a group of master instructors for each USAR field of Search, Rescue and Medical as well as operational leadership was trained by Swiss experts – in Mundali and finally in Ghaziabad – in several methodology courses at the various training levels learning-consolidation-application. In parallel, the canine search (K9) unit, located in Mundali, was further developed. The newly trained instructors are supposed to disseminate their know-how in the 12 NDRF Battalions countrywide.

 
In 2017 a large USAR training base nevertheless of impressing quality was finally constructed on the premises of the 3rd NDRF Batalion  in Ghaziabad, just in time before concluding the project with an operational USAR exercise in November 2017.

In 2018 NDRF submitted a request to SDC for mentorship in view of a newly foreseen IEC. Assuming that the further development of the national capacities towards an international USAR would – beyond mentorship – lead to another intensive capacity building process, beyond SDC’s ressources, SDC could not positively respond to the request.

Nevertheless, SDC recommended NDRF to apply to the INSARAG office to carry out a fact finding mission under the lead of INSARAG Asia-Pacific Region (observation and evaluation of an USAR exercise) supported  by an international group of experts. The current state of NDRF’s IEC-suitable USAR capacities is not evident  to date. The mission shall provide a guidance for NDRF about the necessary steps.

  

Local Implementing Counterparts:

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)

Contact Person:

Simon Tschurr

Contact Person Phone Number:

++41 58 462 39 95

Contact Person Email Address:

simon.tschurr@eda.admin.ch

 

Guidelines for filling in the form:

  • If you have any documents related to your projects, we will also be happy to add these documents to your project. However, please bear in mind that these documents will be public.
  • If you have any projects that have been implemented by two INSARAG member countries/organisations, it is suggested that names of both countries/organizations are written under ‘organization’ field. Otherwise, if both INSARAG member countries/organisations enter the same project, then there will be double entry into the directory.
  • Please take note that this directory is only for the projects funded by the implementing country/organization without any cost to the recipient country.
  • Once you send us your projects, we will upload them to the web page. When the web page is launched, we will provide you an account. With this account, you can always enter/delete/modify your own data.
  • Please find below an example project entry:

 

URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT IN NEPAL


Kathmandu

Organization: Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB)
In line with the Nepal Risk Reduction Consortium and the recommendations from the INSARAG emergency response capacity scoping mission conducted in May 2011, discussions are ongoing with counterparts in Nepal to initiate a national USAR system/organisation structure as part of the overall disaster preparedness and response system. The tentative timeframe is 2011-2014.  

At least one national USAR team will be developed. The team or teams will enable timely and efficient search and rescue operations in structural building failures around the Kathmandu valley as well as in other urban and suburban areas in Nepal. 

Additionally, USAR training resources such as trainers and training equipment will be made available as assets for district and municipality level search and rescue capacities in the country. Development of standards and institutional links to USAR will also be beneficial for search and rescue capacities at all levels.
Contact person: Heidi Huusko
Phone: +46 10 240 5254
E-mail: heidi.huusko@msb.se

 

CAPACITY-DEVELOPMENT FOR URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE IN THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY


The West Bank of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (oPt)
Organization: The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB)
Project time scope:

01 Dec 2012 – 30 Jun 2013 Pre-Inception, West Bank
MoU, building relations, defining aims, scopes and resources. Defining baselines. Internal evaluation and recommendations.
01 Jul 2013 – 31 Dec 2013 Phase I, West Bank
Planning, identification of national Trainers (ToT), writing of national training curriculum. Defining baselines. Internal evaluation and recommendations.
NB: Funding is currently only available from Sida for the Pre-Inception and Phase I.
01 Jan 2014 – 31 Dec 2015 Phase II, West Bank
Implementation. Training, procurement of USAR equipment, advising on rubble field for collapsed building simulation. Yearly external and internal evaluations and recommendations.

Option
Depending on the outcomes of the above, availability of funding, and on the feasibility, the project may be implemented also for the Gaza Strip. In that case phases III and IV will be added.

Development goal:
More lives are saved in disasters involving structural collapse incidents.

Project purpose:
By supporting the Palestinian Civil Defence and relevant stakeholders in becoming self-sufficient in terms of urban search and rescue training and response, the capacity to organise a timely and effective lifesaving response in disasters involving structural collapse has been increased.

Desired outputs (may not be fully implemented due to current limitation of funds):

1. A national rescue training cadre with USAR competence has been trained and established
2. A national USAR training system has been created and standardised according to the national needs of oPt. This includes a printed training curricula
3. Linkage between the Palestinian Civil Defence and the INSARAG system has been established and is entertained over time
4. A USAR component has been established according to national preconditions and needs, and has been institutionalised in the national response framework
5. USAR equipment for the national support units and a corresponding set of equipment intended for training purposes at the Civil Defence Rescue Training Centre in Jericho has been procured
6. The USAR equipment has been organised in a well-functioning logistical system, with transparent responsibilities and defined maintenance procedures.
7. The Civil Defence Rescue Training Centre in Jericho has adequate outdoor training facilities for training in urban search and rescue.
Due to the current limitation of funds to the Pre-Inception and Phase I, the MSB will focus on delivering within project outputs 2 and 3 during year 2013, touching upon issues in relation to outputs 1 and 4. In case of funding becoming available for the Phase II, then all outputs will come into focus and be developed through the course of the project.

Local implementing counterparts: The Palestinian Civil Defence, the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, Ramallah. The project is implemented in cooperation with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Iceland (MFA) and is a contribution through the UNDP’s programme “Enhancing Capacities for Disaster Risk Management in Palestine”.
Contact person: Mr Daniel Hjärne
Phone: Office: +46 10 240 5118, Mobile: +46 76 14 11 777
E-mail: daniel.hjarne@msb.se 

 

DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE CAPACITY IN PAKISTAN

Islamabad and Karachi
Organization: Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB)

The aim was to have a national USAR system established and institutionalised, consisting of two heavy and one medium USAR teams in line with the INSARAG guidelines.

The project did establish two heavy USAR teams as well as two solid rubble fields for USAR training, however the medium team was cut out from the project. A total of 44 national instructors has been trained and certified through the project’s Training of Trainers programme.

The national counterpart was the National Disaster Management Authority who coordinated with national bodies such as the Capital Development Authority in Islamabad, City District Government of Karachi, Rescue 1122 Services of Lahore and the Pakistan Army.

International partners were DFID, SDC and UNDP. The project duration was June 2007 – June 2010.

Local implementing counterparts: National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
Contact person: Daniel Hjärne
Phone: +46 10 240 5118
E-mail: daniel.hjarne@msb.se 

 
 
URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE CAPACITY BUILDING IN TAJIKISTAN

Dushanbe

Organization: The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB)

The project started in September 2007 and is coming to an end in December 2011. The aim is to have at least one trained and equipped USAR entity in place with SOPs for deployment as well as an outdoor training facility.

The USAR entities correspond to rescue groups within three existing local rescue services who were trained and equipped to respond to USAR needs. The creation of a national USAR team in accordance with the INSARAG Guidelines has only very recently been initiated, and is thought to be done after the ending of the current USAR project.

 

Gender awareness is important in USAR capacity development projects. In one of the trainings 2 out of 15 rescuers were women belonging to the local search and rescue group.

Local implementing counterparts: the Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence (CoES)
Contact person: Daniel Hjärne
Phone: +46 10 240 5118
E-mail: daniel.hjarne@msb.se 

 

The UN GA Resolution 57/150 of 16 December 2002 on “Strengthening the Effectiveness and Coordination of International USAR Assistance” stresses the need to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) assistance. A key factor in achieving this objective is the ongoing development of USAR capacity, especially within countries with a high risk of structural collapse from either natural or technical disasters.

Countries may look to develop USAR capacity for domestic purposes only, or they may look to develop capacity with the view to becoming an international donor of USAR response assistance. Either way however, countries are encouraged to develop USAR capacity in accordance with the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) Guidelines. The INSARAG Guidelines, developed and practiced by emergency responders from around the world, serve to guide international USAR teams and disaster-affected countries during international USAR response operations as well as providing guidance on how to develop USAR capacity.

A USAR Capacity Assessment Mission aims to identify existing capacities and determine the required capacities according to the country’s USAR objectives. This provides an indication of the gaps between the current capacity and the required capacity which in turn assists in defining the USAR capacity development strategy.

The INSARAG network provides unique access to a pool of experienced, qualified USAR experts that are able to conduct an assessment of existing capacity, mapped against needs and who are then able to assist with the design and subsequent implementation of USAR Capacity Development initiatives.

Building the first tier of local capability involves the training and development of existing local emergency services and community responders to meet the needs of the affected population at the onset of the incident. Termed ‘USAR First Responders’, their role at the initial phase of an incident is that of:

  • Assessing the nature and scale of the incident
  • Rescue and basic casualty care in the initial stages of a collapse incident
  • Providing information to domestic decision-makers about the event
  • Requesting the appropriate resources required to successfully complete the rescue phase

First Responder Networks would be most effective in areas where no organised USAR capability exists, as well as areas where any USAR response from structured teams may be delayed. It is envisaged that USAR First Responders will typically be personnel working in the local community or staff of local government organisations tasked with emergency management or response. For example; local police, medical staff or fire-fighters, government workers (including civil protection) or members of volunteer organisations.

To assist in the development of USAR First Responders, INSARAG has developed the First Responders Training Package. More information regarding INSARAG First Responder Training can be found at the link below.

Videos

 Bleeding Control Arterial
 Building Collapse
 Car Into Building
 Impaled Objects with Nick Rondinelli
 MMA Broken
 First Aid Bean’s Example 
 Recovery Position Step by Step Guide
 Stretcher Walk NSW

 USAR Rubble Search and Rescue

Updates 2022 :

IRNAP Guidance Note 2022 – Link

IRNAP Checklist 2022 – Link

The INSARAG Guidelines 2015 include a complete manual on strengthening national and local capacity building (Vol. II, Manual A) and recommend countries to establish a national USAR team accreditation mechanism to allow a country to “manage, monitor and establish the same standards officially and adhere closely to the INSARAG standards and guidance in developing its USAR national response systems”. This process has been worked on particularly since 2014 in a workshop carried out in Chile on “The creation of a national USAR team accreditation process” and many of the lessons learned in the Americas region in the past few years have been incorporated.

The INSARAG Americas Regional Group presented a proposal on this topic to the INSARAG Steering Group in 2016, who in turn requested the Regional Group to lead the initiative to “design a peer revision/certification process of national USAR team accreditation processes, which confirms to the requesting country that it is complying with the minimum standards for national USAR team accreditation processes” and present recommendations back to the Steering Group in 2017.

A National Accreditations Working Group was created in 2016, led by the Americas Regional Group with participation from other interested countries, and the proposal developed and consulted globally throughout 2016 was endorsed by the INSARAG Steering Group in 2017.

Classification vs Accreditation
The INSARAG Guidelines 2015 make the difference between the IEC classification – a process amongst peers, designed by the INSARAG community for the verification of the achievement of the standards for teams with an international deployment mandate; and the accreditation, a process which is by definition at the national level and through which the achievement of national standards is certified by an accrediting entity, in other words, the competent national authorities.

National accreditation process
The USAR response framework of INSARAG shows a structure, which aims to ensure interoperability between different levels of USAR response and determines that “it is vital that working practices, technical language and information are common and shared through all levels of the USAR response framework” (INSARAG Guidelines, Vol I, 2.1). Therefore, the standards developed for the accreditation of national teams must be aligned with the INSARAG methodology and therefore should be recognized within this same framework.

The 2015 INSARAG Guidelines provide a very general guidance on the establishment of a national USAR team accreditation process.

In addition to the Guidelines, here are additional and more detailed directions and tools for the design and implementation of a national accreditation process. This guidance will be incorporated in the next update of the INSARAG Guidelines, as endorsed by the INSARAG Steering Group in 2017.

NOTE: By definition, the national standards and processes shall be elaborated and promulgated at national level by the competent authority. This guidance is designed to promote the use of the INSARAG methodology by national authorities for its national teams and the national USAR response.

  • Recommended minimum criteria and steps for the national USAR team accreditation processes. – These shall serve as guidance to national authorities who are in the process of establishing a national USAR team accreditation process.
  • National standards: This is an updated version of Annex C of Manual A of the INSARAG Guidelines: “Capacity assessment checklist for national USAR team”. This updated version is more explicit with regards to standards applicable for light teams. They also include actual standards/ requirements on the national disaster management system (LEMA) with regards to the activation and coordination procedures for the national response.
  • Supporting documentation: the following are a series of formats for the supporting documentation that national teams may wish to use in order to demonstrate that they are achieving the national standards.
  •  
 Supporting documentation Definition  Guidance/recommended template
 1. Strategic plan of the institution  Organizational document, which explains and establishes the general and specific objectives, strategies, program lines, projects and corresponding resources, with a long-term planning horizon. It should include mission statement, vision and indicators  Format 1.1
 2. Organizational model and structure (which contains the 5 components)  Document, which describes the organizational model of the teams and where all functions or positions of the organization are described. Profiles and responsibilities shall be specified, as well as the skills and abilities that are required for each of them.  Format 2.1
 3. Annual operational plan which includes the annual and mid-term financial plan/ budget  Document containing guidance on the actions to be executed in the short term, and where budgetary and financial planning for the short and medium term sustainability of the team is described, in line with the strategic plan of the institution.  Format 3.1
 4. Annual training and skills development plan  Training plan containing a database of courses or workshops held, and which defined objectives, goals, responsibility, resources, certifying entities, schedule, workload, curriculum, number of participants based on the expected minimum training for a team that chooses to be accredited according to the level that it applied for. It shall include the continuous learning/ re-certification plan.  Format 4.1
 5. Safety, health and insurance and/or legal health benefits arrangements  Programs, processes and tools designed to provide teams and their members with coverage in the field of health, occupational safety, legal benefits and/or insurance; Including the annual and post-mission medical check-up.  Format 5.1
 6. Agreements with providers of services and goods Description of each of the duly signed, valid agreements, allowing for adequate maintenance and procurement of equipment, tools, supplies and services for the team functions.  Format 6.1
 7. Human resources management  Document where the organizational human resources policies are established. (Licenses, permits, sanctions, leave, etc.).  Format 7.1
 8. Physical installations of the team  Details of each of the physical spaces that the team disposes of for its work (warehouses, stores, dorms, gym, kitchen, etc.)  Format 8.1
 9. Tools, equipment and accessories  Equipment, tools and accessories required for the corresponding operating level of the USAR Team. These shall be physically available, in good technical condition and have an operational registration/inventory system as well as a preventive and corrective maintenance service  Format 9.1
 10. Operational capacity and autonomy  Document in which the operational procedures, as well as the corresponding timeframe, is established, through which the different tasks of the USAR team are being carried out in line with the response cycle  Format 10.1
 11. Logistics  Document which describes the logistical requirements for the USAR team to function appropriately (food, lodging, transportation, etc.)   Format 11.1
 12. ICT  Description of the ICT systems (eg. Fixed, portable and accessories) defined for the USAR team according to its level, its operational status, communications plan, operational registration/inventory system and the preventive and corrective maintenance.  Format 12.1
 13. Activation & mobilization mechanisms & protocols  Activation and mobilization procedures of the USAR team  Format 13.1
 14. Document/ information management  The information management forms that provide the documentation support for the USAR operations (INSARAG forms are recommended)  INSARAG forms

 ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

The Member States that have met the criteria for the National Accreditation Process(NAP) which ensures that National Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams meet the INSARAG standards, as specified in the INSARAG Guidelines of 2015.are listed below:

The simplified Flowchart outlining the steps to take for INSARAG NAP is attached here:   2000px PDF file icon.svg

IRNAP Recognized Countries since 2017:

Date Member States RG
1 June 2017 France AEME
2 November 2017 Turkey AEME
3 November 2018 Colombia Americas
4 December 2018 Guatemala Americas
5 June 2022 Chile Americas
6 June 2022 Cyprus AEME
7 October 2022 Singapore AP

Turkish national accreditation

  •  (Turkey National Accreditation Certification, Istanbul 2017)