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Urban Search & Rescue Team
The Montgomery County Urban Search and Rescue (MCUS&R) Team falls under the Operations section of Montgomery County Emergency Management. The Team is a county-wide resource for municipalities/departments to utilize for incidents that are more technical in nature.
Capabilities
Montgomery County US&R is able to assist in structural collapse (breaching / breaking, shoring), technical search (visual, acoustic & wide area), heavy lifting, trench rescue, confined space rescue, specialized rope rescue, and flood / swift water incidents.
Training Levels
All US&R members are trained to NFPA 1670 and most are at the NFPA 1006 or FEMA levels. Most members are also technician level in rope, confined space, trench, vehicle/machinery, structural collapse, and water.
Examples of advanced training:
- FEMA Heavy Rigging Specialist
- FEMA Structural Collapse Specialist
- FEMA Technical Search Specialist
- FEMA Wide Area Search
- FEMA Medical Specialist
- FEMA Structure Specialist
- Type III Planning Manager
- Paratech Advanced Structural Collapse
- Tower Rescue
Team Structure
US&R is composed of local-level emergency responders from municipalities throughout Montgomery County. We have (1) Task Force Leader, (4) Rescue Squad Officers, and numerous Rescue Specialists. Montgomery County US&R partners with the Montgomery County Hazardous Materials Response Team when specialized atmospheric monitoring equipment is needed.
Leadership
- Task Force Leader (US&R 1): Joe Dishler
- Deputy Task Force Leader (US&R 2): Jim Staufenberg
- Rescue Squad Officer (US&R 3): Dave Ellick
- Rescue Squad Officer (US&R 4): TJ Hamel
- Rescue Squad Officer (US&R 5): Andrew McIntyre
- Rescue Squad Officer (US&R 6): John Mahon
Command Structure
The US&R Task Force Leader is responsible for managing all Task Force activities during an event, directs/supervises the Rescue Squad Officers (RSO) and works with the HazMat, Medical, and Logistics section leaders. MCUS&R operates within the established command structure of a local incident.
Levels of Response
A municipality or department can request a US&R officer (24/7) to an incident for a consultation or to bring a specialized piece of equipment (example: technical search camera). If upon arrival it is deemed that more resources are needed, a full team dispatch will be executed. US&R members will respond to the Montgomery County Fire Academy to staff apparatus while a Task Force Leader or Rescue Squad Officer will respond directly to your incident. MCUS&R can have 8-12 members on scene within 1 hour.
Reasons to Request US&R
- Specialized equipment or skill sets required to safely handle an event.
- To assist on an incident in which you have limited resources
- Safety – Technical rescue events are not every day occurrences. Use our team to fulfill the safety/RIT requirements for your rescue operations.