J. Assessment Checklists

10. Search and Rescue

Determine how many collapsed structures in an urban area have been affected:

What types? Hospitals, multistory public housing units, schools?

Identify buildings constructed of reinforced concrete or other materials that would leave voids where trapped victims could survive:

Apartment buildings. Industrial buildings. Office buildings. Hazardous installations creating secondary risks.

Determine the predominant building types and construction material:

Wattle and daub. Masonry buildings (adobe, brick, concrete blocks, stone masonry). Reinforced concrete structures (frames with brick infill, frames with load-bearing masonry walls, bearing walls, prefabricated structures). Steel structures (multistory steel structures, steel frames in an enfilade arrangement with reinforced concrete). Timber structures. Other. Type of roof (reinforced concrete, steel, wood, grass, etc.).

Determine the likelihood of finding survivors. Describe the local search and rescue capacity, and whether international Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams are on the ground or have been requested. Determine type of assistance needed:

Search with technical equipment and/or dogs. Rescue with lifting, pulling, cutting, digging, and lighting equipment. Medical to oversee and aid in victim extraction. Special operations for removing hazardous materials, demolition, shoring of dangerous structures, or damage and emergency repair.

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