Pierce County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUNCTION 9 SEARCH AND RESCUE

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1 EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUNCTION 9 SEARCH AND RESCUE ESF COORDINATOR Pierce County Department of Emergency Management JOINT PRIMARY AGENCIES Pierce County Department of Emergency Management Pierce County Public Works Pierce County Planning and Land Services Pierce County Sheriff's Department Washington State Task Force 1 SUPPORT AGENCIES Pierce County Fire Districts and Municipal Fire Departments Volunteer Organizations I. INTRODUCTION A. Purpose B. Scope To provide guidance for search and rescue (SAR) operations. 1. This ESF addresses emergency and disaster search and rescue operations within Pierce County. 2. Planning for every search and rescue contingency is far beyond the scope of this ESF. This plan will outline broad objectives that will provide for the greatest protection of life and property that can be achieved with resources available. This ESF should be used as a guideline for those in command of search and rescue operations and should not be viewed as a prescribed action plan. II. POLICIES A. Volunteer SAR teams are organized by specialty. Team members maintain current registration with the Washington Emergency Worker Program with approval through the Sheriff s Department. B. Pierce County Sheriff s Department (PCSD) is responsible for SAR operations in the unincorporated areas of Pierce County and may, by agreement or upon request, support SAR operations in the incorporated cities and towns (RCW ). C. SAR operations will be managed under the incident command system under the authority of the responsible jurisdiction. ESF 9: Search and Rescue/September of 6

2 D. The Washington State Task Force 1 (WA-TF1) mission is to locate, extricate, and provide initial medical treatment to victims trapped in collapsed structures or conduct wide area searches. WA-TF1 is a federally funded resource that is available to support state and local incidents and is sponsored by PC DEM. E. WA EMD must activate WA-TF1 prior to requesting additional Federal USAR resources. A Presidential Declaration of Emergency is required to deploy or host additional Federal task forces. F. WA-TF1 may be used to support local events with the Urban Search and Rescue Program Manager and PC DEM approval. G. All WA-TF1 equipment used in support of a local incident must be returned to full operational capacity as soon as possible at local expense. H. When possible, in addition to the rescue of individuals, both service animals and pets will be rescued. III. SITUATION A. Emergency/Disaster Conditions and Hazards 1. Refer to the Pierce County Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (published separately) for a full list of hazards which may be expected to impact the County within the foreseeable future. 2. The emergency or disaster conditions may put search and rescue personnel in situations that may threaten their safety. 3. Individuals with special needs may compound the normal problems associated with search and rescue: a. In a developing situation, such as a flood, individuals with mobility needs or cognitive impairments may be resistant to or elect not to evacuate when requested and later, as the incident develops, require rescue. b. Persons with mobility or access problems may have difficulty navigating around or through debris, especially with durable medical equipment and service animals or may have difficulty using standard search and rescue equipment to evacuate by air (e.g. a very obese individual using standard basket/harness rig). c. Incidents with environmental issues may impact individuals with compromised immune systems, or other serious health issues like asthma or emphysema requiring extra assistance or care from rescuers. d. Language barriers, or auditory or visual impairment may complicate communication with special needs individuals. ESF 9: Search and Rescue/September of 6

3 B. Planning Assumptions 1. People will be lost, injured, or killed while outdoors, requiring SAR assistance. 2. Natural and man-made disasters and / or acts of terrorism may create the need for structural collapse search and rescue as well as wide area search operations. 3. An emergency or disaster may overwhelm volunteer and local SAR agencies and may require the technical skills of an Urban Search and Rescue task force. 4. Large numbers of local residents and volunteers will initiate activities to assist SAR operations and will require coordination. Convergent (spontaneous) volunteers will require coordination and direction within the local incident command structure. 5. Access to damaged sites and / or wilderness locations may be limited. Some sites may be initially accessible by only air or water. 6. High risk individuals may not be able to, be resistant to, or refuse to evacuate themselves when requested. 7. Evacuees requiring rescue may include individuals subject to judicial and/or administrative orders restricting their freedom of movement, such as parolees. 8. Some individuals may have Durable Medical Equipment (DME) and/or service animals that will need to be rescued with them. 9. Some individuals may have communication impediments such as hearing or speech impairment, or behavioral or cognitive impairment. IV. CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS A. Search and Rescue 1. The Emergency Worker Program is sponsored by the WA EMD and administered by PC DEM. The Emergency Worker Program is an organized search and rescue volunteer program that provides reimbursement for gas, property loss and liability protection while in a deployment capacity. The program provides training with simulated and actual field operations under the guidance of law enforcement specializing in search and rescue operations. ESF 9: Search and Rescue/September of 6

4 2. The Emergency Worker Program requires that each volunteer in Pierce County pass a background check, perform satisfactorily in training programs and on searches, and be available for search missions. 3. Pierce County SAR volunteers work under the guidance and direction of local law enforcement specializing in search and rescue operations. 4. SAR deployments are coordinated among the PC DEM duty officer, the search and rescue officer or deputy, and the individual teams duty officers. 5. Aerial search for missing aircraft is the responsibility of the state Department of Transportation (WSDOT- Aviation. Pierce County Sheriff s Department (PCSD) is responsible for conducing ground search operations within Pierce County and coordination of other operations with WSDOT-Aviation. 6. Pierce County Department of Public Works may provide heavy equipment to support SAR operations. 7. When possible the inclusion of Durable Medical Equipment, service animals and pets will be included in an evacuation or rescue. B. Urban Search and Rescue 1. WA-TF1 is a federal asset and is one of twenty-eight (28) task forces in three regions. The team is comprised of local firefighters, paramedics, law enforcement officers, engineers, physicians, and specialists in a number of disciplines including communications and structural search and rescue operations. 2. PC DEM sponsors WA-TF1. The sponsoring agency chief is the Director of PC DEM. 3. WA-TF1 will respond to emergencies or disasters outside of Pierce County and the Puget Sound region through the Washington State All hazards Mobilization Plan. 4. When the emergency or disaster affects Pierce County or Washington State, members of the WA-TF1 may be deployed as a state mobilization resource. The need for additional US&R task forces will be determined by unified command and coordinated through PC DEM and WA EMD. 5. Pierce County Planning and Land Services will provide technical structural advice and coordinating additional structural assets. ESF 9: Search and Rescue/September of 6

5 V. RESPONSIBILITIES 6. PC DEM is responsible for processing a request for WATF1 with DHS/FEMA and coordinating other support operations as outlined in the WATF1 Mobilization Manual and the Administrative Manual. 7. PC DEM is responsible to coordinate the arrival, housing, and other support needs of US&R teams deployed from out of the area in support of Pierce County operations. A. Joint Primary Agencies Pierce County 1. Sheriff's Department a. Lead agency for SAR operations within the county, and cities and towns when requested. b. Approves all applications for the Emergency Worker Program. c. Coordinate needed SAR teams and other resources with the PC DEM duty officer or with the PC EOC, when activated. d. Conduct operations in accordance with NIMS/ICS. e. Participate in unified command when the scope of the incident warrants this command structure. 2. Department of Emergency Management a. Provide 24-hour duty officer operations. b. Maintain an active Emergency Worker Program approved by the WA EMD. c. Activate PC EOC if indicated by the level of SAR operations. d. Coordinate requested resources. e. Deploy WA-TF1 within four hours of receiving FEMA orders. f. Coordinate the request and arrival of an outside Urban Search and Rescue task force when appropriate. (See Washington State Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue Activation Manual. Published separately.) 3. Public Works Lead agency for coordinating heavy equipment procurement and operation. 4. Planning and Land Services Lead agency for providing technical structural advice and coordinating structural assets. 5. Washington State Task Force 1 (WA-TF1) Program Staff ESF 9: Search and Rescue/September of 6

6 B. Support Agencies a. Maintain a state of readiness for rapid deployment and initiation of operations. b. Ensure appropriate disciplines are represented on the task force. c. Maintain individual task force member documentation as required by DHS/FEMA and administered by PC DEM. 1. Pierce County Fire Districts and Municipal Fire Departments Support SAR operations within the county and respective jurisdictions when requested. 2. Volunteer Organizations Pierce County Search and Rescue Council Members and Other Appropriate Organizations a. Establish membership standards in accordance with county and state policy and keep the PC DEM informed of latest membership lists and call-out procedures. b. Respond to SAR missions upon request by PC DEM duty officer as resources allow. VI. REFERENCES Washington State Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue Activation Manual (published separately) Washington State Emergency Worker Guidelines VII. TERMS AND DEFINITIONS Search and rescue as defined by Washington State law means the acts of searching for, rescuing, or recovering by means of ground, marine, or air activity any person who becomes lost, injured, or is killed while outdoors or as a result of a natural, technological, or human-caused disaster, including instances involving searches for downed aircraft when ground personnel are used (RCW (7)). VIII. ATTACHMENTS None ESF 9: Search and Rescue/September of 6