National Resilience Wales Roadshow Visits South Wales Fire and Rescue Service
The National Resilience Wales Roadshow pitched up at South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) last week as part of its tour across Wales to showcase resources available for large-scale emergency incidents.
The tour, which also visited Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) and North Wales Fire and Rescue Service (NWFRS), aimed to raise awareness among operational and control staff about National Resilience capabilities.
The South Wales leg of the tour took place on the week commencing 3th March at Whitchurch Fire Station, home to the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Wales facility. Opened in April 2023 with funding from the Welsh Government, the centre ensures high-level training and operational readiness for personnel across Wales.
A Collaborative and Specialised Team
The Wales USAR Team consists of 37 trained personnel from SWFRS and MAWWFRS. Specialties include telehandlers, search dog handler Chris Jones and Cooper, the USAR dog, and drones.
The primary incidents the team responds to involve collapsed structures, which can be caused by a variety of factors such as explosions, vehicle collisions, or natural disasters. The team also responds to incidents involving heavy transport such as trains, trams, and aircraft, and works outside of day-to-day scope for other types of large-scale disasters. All USAR technicians are trained to work at height, enhancing their ability to respond to complex, elevated rescues and increasing situations where they may be called to assist.
National and Regional Coordination
The Wales USAR Team operates across four distinct ‘USAR response zones,’ enabling a coordinated approach to large-scale incidents. If a significant incident occurs which requires a group response, teams from various zones can come together to ensure a swift and effective operation.
The team operates out of two primary locations – Earlswood, serving MAWWFRS, and Whitchurch, housing SWFRS’s USAR facility. While Whitchurch plays a key role in operational response, most of the team’s training takes place at Earlswood.
High Volume Pump (HVP) and CBRN Capabilities
The roadshow also included an overview of Wales’ High-Volume Pump (HVP) assets, designed for flooding response and providing large quantities of water at protracted incidents. With four HVPs across Wales, these units can pump water over three kilometres to support large-scale operations. A review of recent high-profile incidents in Wales utilising these HVP assets was also presented.
The roadshow also featured a comprehensive overview of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) capability in Wales. National Resilience (NR) has the ability to provide hazardous material detection, identification, and decontamination across Wales to Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) and partner agencies. This is achieved through specialised equipment and trained officers.
Five Levels of Response
The Wales USAR Team is structured to respond at five levels of intervention:
The Wales USAR Team can respond at five levels, from remote advice to large-scale, prolonged incident management, with requests coordinated through Control.
K9 Expertise
An essential asset for the team is the K9 search unit, which currently consists of Cooper, the USAR dog, and his handler Chris Jones. The duo plays a pivotal role in structural collapse searches, immediate area searches, and live air scenting.
In the world of search and rescue, the power of a canine unit is significant—one dog is considered to be equivalent to 50 personnel. Cooper has been specially trained over 13 months to be a part of the national register of trained K9 search teams. To qualify, Cooper and his handler completed eight training modules, including three full searches, the discovery of multiple casualties, and annual re-testing to maintain certification.
Cooper’s role is supported by advanced technology such as drones that follow the dog, providing technicians with the safest and most efficient route into collapsed structures. This combination of human expertise, canine capabilities, and technological tools significantly narrows the search area, speeding up rescues and improving safety for both the victims and the responding teams.
Training and Capability
The team is highly trained, using advanced technology and equipment like seismic listening devices and search cameras. Gareth Lewis, Station Manager for the Wales USAR Team, highlighted the importance of collaboration across Wales’ Fire and Rescue Services to ensure community safety.
Gareth Lewis, Station Manager and Capability Lead for the Wales USAR Team, who coordinated the roadshow, commented:
“The roadshow has been a fantastic opportunity to engage with colleagues from across the three Welsh Fire and Rescue Services, demonstrating the diverse range of resources, assets, and specialist skills available to us. By working together, we can ensure the safety of the communities we serve, whether on a local or national level.”
The Wales USAR Team is on call 24/7, 365 days a year, providing critical search-and-rescue capabilities and supporting humanitarian efforts both within Wales and internationally.
