Rescue Technology
During a search and rescue mission, the team utilises specialist search equipment in order to locate survivors.
All of the equipment requires an experienced operator so training is vital and each member spends at least two years using the equipment during training exercises under different environmental conditions.
Sound Listening Device
Aids the detection of trapped casualties under rubble after explosion, building collapse and earthquakes. Even the quietest noise is picked up by the sensors.
The unit is fitted with adjustable noise filters which deaden the effect of ambient noises such as traffic, drilling or earthmoving equipment commonly found in a disaster area where multiple rescues may be taking place.
Two vibration sensors ‘listen’ for sounds from the casualty whilst a third sensor acts as an intercom.
The operator wears the headset and the sensors are placed apart, on the top of the collapsed structure. The operator can then judge which sensor the sound is coming from and will try to communicate back. The sensors are then moved in sequence until the sound can be pinpointed to a few square metres.
Snake Cameras
Allows the team to look into voids where casualties may be trapped.
These voids are created when a building partially collapses leaving a ‘surviving space’ but these may be very unstable and dangerous for the rescue team to reach.
By feeding these waterproof cameras into these voids, we can check for casualties quickly, preventing time wasted through unnecessary excavation.
Use of these cameras means it is also safer for the casualty because we can determine how they may be trapped and make a rescue plan to extract them in the safest way.
The camera features LED lighting on its tip, has a multi-directional extendable head to allow it to be fed around corners and through tight spaces. An operator can monitor progress on the screen and can filter the picture to try and establish what they are looking at; casualties may be lying under layers of dust and debris so learning to spot signs of a casualty is important.
CO2 Analysers
These portable analysers allow the measurement of Carbon Dioxide. Being able to detect CO2 is important as it allows us to detect casualties who may be buried under a collapsed structure but who are unconscious.
All casualties who are alive and breathing will be expelling CO2 gas. By reading a higher level of this gas in comparison to the surroundings, this can indicate the possible location of a casualty.
Various probes can be attached to the device depending on the situation; some resemble a ski pole with a detection hole on the end for probing into very confined spaces.
Thermal Imaging Equipment
These cameras are an excellent tool to deploy for quick reconnaissance of an area; looking for a grey / white object against a black background. This works particularly well in rural settings (especially in missing person searches) but can also be used on collapsed buildings where some heat is given off by a buried casualty even if they are not directly in line of sight.
In a flooding incident, where people may shelter in trees or on top of buildings, these cameras can pinpoint people over a great distance and as such are very useful for searching from the air (i.e. from a helicopter).
The unit below shows the thermal detector lens on the front with an angle-adjustable LCD screen on the back for the operator. (The front battery compartment is also open in this picture). Straps on each side enable the viewer to hold it securely while searching, for instance when seated by the door of a aircraft.