"to assist and provide the safe rescue of survivors of significant natural and man made disasters and to reduce the loss of life" |
The County’s Urban Search and Rescue Team (USAR) is a specialized team composed of both Fire Department and Public Works Department employees. It is the only urban rescue unit in California with crew members from these two departments, trained to work as a single team. The team was created by action of the Board of Supervisors in September 1995 to act as a resource during natural or man-made disasters, including floods, earthquakes, transportation accidents, and collapse of structures including buildings, bridges, trenches and dams.
The State of California requires every county to have in place a Disaster Management Plan, and Marin County’s plan calls for “heavy rescue” in the case of a major catastrophe. The County of Marin is susceptible to major loss of life and property, with its reliance on one principal highway, Highway 101, together with its location between two major earthquake faults and the extent of its heavy woodlands and wetlands development. These factors all indicate the need for a countywide rescue team trained in specialized "heavy rescue" skills.
Ever since the Mt. Vision Fire disaster in West Marin in October 1995, which destroyed thousands of acres of woodland with loss of many homes and caused millions of dollars in property damage, the Fire and Public Works Departments have had a close working relationship with formation of the USAR team. Since that time, USAR members have participated in many missions and USAR has strengthened its capabilities by regular drills and training sessions.
USAR is divided into two units, one in rural West Marin and the other in the urban corridor in San Rafael. With almost 50 volunteer members, USAR consists of firefighters, emergency medical technicians, civil engineers, heavy equipment operators, hazardous material technicians, and others who are on call around the clock in case of disaster. The team is designed to react in 30 to 45 minutes to any major catastrophe.
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