What is An Emergency Rescue Team? Definition, Roles, and Requirements

A life-threatening event and any kind of hazards are unpredictable. Most people who are in an emergency barely know how to save themselves. This is the risk for a rescue team to help, but what is an emergency rescue team? Read the overview below to know further about this crucial team.

What is An Emergency Rescue Team?

The term rescue team refers to people who have specialized in working in different emergency situations. These individuals can respond fast in critical situations to prevent further damage and loss. Usually, they work to save lives when they are in a dangerous position.

An example is the case of a Brazilian named Juliana who fell from a rocky cliff in Rinjani Mountain. The rescue team came after they received the report. Thus, they look for the body using particular gear and equipment to take her from the cliff.

The Roles of Emergency Rescue Team

Activating Emergency Alarms

The rescue team has the right to activate the emergency alarm after assessment. They will do it when they find out that the incident or event is dangerous and would create damage. This response should be very quick to respond. This is part of the rescue team’s SOPs.

Rescue Operations

The main role of the rescue team is to do operations. They will go to the area where they got a report that it has a life-threatening event. They should have good navigation, such as finding out the smoke in any scale of spaces. Thus, they will look for potential victims to save.

Giving Out Medical Support

The rescue team can give the victim some first aid and medical support. This is a basic skill, including giving CPR. They also should be able to manage burns, shock, bleeding, and some types of injury. This support is a solid rescue before paramedics arrive in the area.

Controlling Hazard

Dangerous conditions are what is an emergency rescue team faces every single time. For example, during a fire incident, they should know how to use fire extinguishers and shut off the electrical lines. The hazard should be stopped from spreading larger to other areas.

Managing The Crowd

The crowd is inevitable to happen when a life-threatening event occurs in an area with high density. So, they should know how to manage the crowd. The first action is guiding people to a better area through a safe route. They also assist people with limited capability.

Engaging for Coordination

The personnel of the rescue team can engage with other agencies for better coordination. They can be police officers, firefighters, and the government through a communication system. To make it real-time communication, they can rely on an SMS broadcaster to spread the message.

The Requirements to Be A Rescue Team

Education Minimum

The rescue team should be graduated from high school or diploma. It is because they need knowledge and understand basic emergencies that are usually taught at school. It is easier for them to get training in the future.

Training and Certification

A formal training for the rescue team is required, so they will have specialization and general knowledge about rescue. They will be tested to ensure they have good understanding and get certification later. The areas they can explore are SAR, BLS, fire safety, Hazmat, and PPE.

Physical and Mental Requirements

The team should be fit, so fitness is required to ensure they can help others in different types of spaces. Sometimes, the location needs them to pull out the heavy objects or withstand harsh environments.

Communication Skill

Without good communication skills, they can create misunderstandings. This is why their communication skills should be good with clear manners. Besides radio, they have to know many types of communication tool,s including hand signals.

Availability

The rescue team should be available 24/7 because the incident can happen anytime. They should be willing to work even though the notice is very short. This needs training drills because they should go to different places depending on the location.

After getting to know what is an emergency rescue team, the government also provides them with an SMS broadcaster to spread the report about the incident. They can get better information in real-time. Find out more about how this device works in an emergency situation here.