February 21, 2013
Operation Readiness set for Brandon Area by Office of the Fire Commissioner Urban Search and Rescue Team
Manitoba’s heavy Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team will stage its annual winter exercise called Operation Readiness today and tomorrow at multiple locations around the Brandon area.
The round-the-clock exercise will see team members use K-9 dog teams and search and rescue techniques with specialized equipment to locate and save people in several situations. The team will remain on site in a secure base camp and command post.
The team is entirely self-contained including all-season tents, water and galley supplies, an environmentally friendly power system, computer-aided search tools and a satellite communications system.
The Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner (OFC) co-ordinates the 100-plus member USAR team which can be mobilized within hours and has the capacity to be self-sustaining for up to 10 days in any weather anywhere in the country.
The Manitoba USAR team draws its members from the RCMP, OFC, Winnipeg Police Service, Manitoba Hydro, Manitoba Fire Service, physicians and paramedics from provincial regional health authorities, and volunteers from various Manitoba emergency services.
Official search and rescue operations in Manitoba are conducted by authorized, recognized agencies sanctioned to assist the RCMP.
There are four teams across Canada in Vancouver, Alberta, Manitoba and Toronto, funded in co‑operation with the Government of Canada. The USAR teams were formed shortly after the terrorist attacks in the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001.
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