The experts for rubble

The I.S.A.R. Germany Search and Rescue Team (SAR)

Search and rescue - that is the task of the Search and Rescue component of I.S.A.R. Germany. The team is the nucleus of the aid organisation, which was founded in 2003 and is ready for action at the scene with well-equipped rescue specialists and rescue dogs within a very short space of time. They are usually called upon when there has been an earthquake or similar natural event that causes severe devastation.

If the SAR teams have to be deployed, they need to act quickly, as the probability of the victims surviving after an earthquake decreases from day to day. If there are increasing indications from the United Nations (UN) that international assistance may be required, the I.S.A.R. Germany teams are put on pre-alert via a special alert loop. After six hours, they can be ready for departure at the respective departure airport within Germany.

If people are still suspected of being under rubble, the rescue experts working for fire brigades, aid organisations or medical facilities resort to sophisticated technical locating devices such as an endoscope camera, listening devices or camera drones. But before these devices are used to precisely locate people, it is time for the rescue dogs. The animals undergo extensive training together with the rescue dog handlers before they go into action. Thanks to their excellent sense of smell, the dogs can sniff out living people under the rubble and bark to indicate where someone might still be. The exact position is then determined using the technical localisation equipment and contact is established with the buried victims if possible.

Depending on the situation, people are then rescued using heavy equipment such as breakers, cut-off grinders or (concrete) chainsaws. Sometimes, however, it may also be necessary to work very slowly with smaller tools or with bare hands due to the situation of the buried victims.

According to UN regulations, I.S.A.R. teams can be self-sufficient for at least ten days when deployed abroad. They have the necessary logistical equipment such as tents, catering for the entire team and a drinking water treatment plant. They also have all the equipment they need to rescue and care for the injured.

Rescue workers with a search dog search a field of rubble after a building collapse.
Several rescue workers in protective clothing and helmets carry a heavy metal crate together.
Several emergency crews in protective clothing rescue a collapse victim from the rubble of a building.
Three emergency crews operate a localisation device which is located in a metal box.
An ISAR Germany emergency worker is lowered into a hole with the help of a hoist.
Rescue workers with safety helmets and rescue dogs search through the rubble of a building.
Three firefighters wearing hard hats and gloves in a debris field.
An emergency worker wearing a helmet operates a localisation camera.
Two rescue workers in protective suits and a rescue dog search the rubble for possible survivors.
A rescue worker and a rescue dog search a collapsed building.
An emergency worker wearing a hard hat secures a debris site.