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No team will self deploy. They may only
attend on formal request.
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Lone working is not
permitted on the incident ground and therefore your own SOPs must provide
for a competent person to attend with you.
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The Standard Operating Procedure
for a search area is that it should be searched by two dog
teams, thus ensuring all indications and points of interest are confirmed by
a second dog team.
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You must provide and wear the appropriate
PPE at all times within the Inner Cordon as directed by the F&RS USAR
Advisor or Incident Commander.
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On arrival you should report to the Police
or Fire & Rescue Service (F&RS) Incident Commander. You should state clearly
who you are and that you have been requested to attend.
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You must brief the Incident Commander or SAR
Dog Team Sector Commander (see 7 below) on what you can do to help them
achieve their operational plan. You must advise of your competence with
regard to what your dog is qualified for, either Collapsed Structure or
Immediate Area. You must not undertake disciplines for which you are not
deemed competent.
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A SAR Dog Team Sector will be put in place
and a F&RS Officer with dog experience will assume the role of Commander for
this support function. Any officer who has undertaken either the Texas
Collapsed Structure Technician’s course or the equivalent at the Fire
Service College should have enough knowledge of search & rescue dogs to
undertake this role. Any of the dog teams present can provide a person to
assist if required. Each dog team in attendance at the incident will provide
a liaison person. The Commander for this support role function will be
responsible for liaison with the Dog Teams on site, the USAR Advisor and the
Incident Commander. He/she will also task all dog teams to the relevant
sector at the request of the Incident Commander. All tasking will be
conducted through the liaison person for each dog team. A SAR Dog Team
Sector has the status of a support sector within the ICS, in the same way as
decontamination, hazmat and water. The line of command to the Incident
Commander is via Command Support.
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All on site dog teams will be a resource
that the SAR Dog Team Sector Commander will maintain ready for tasking.
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There is to be no freelancing. If requested
to undertake any role by any person other than the operational Sector
Commander, that you are tasked to, or SAR Dog Team Sector Commander you must
advise them that you are unable to do so unless you get the request from the
SAR Dog Team Sector Commander.
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The SAR Dog Team Sector Commander will also
be responsible for ensuring that dog teams are rotated, rested and that
their welfare is catered for. This will be in accordance with F&RS procedure
and you will be removed away from the incident site.
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If you are requested to withdraw for reasons
as in 10 above or for any other reasons, you are to do so immediately.
Discussions re the reasons for your withdrawal will not be discussed at the
time but can be discussed as part of the formal de-brief.
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The relevant Sector Commander and SAR Dog
Team Sector Commander will require you to debrief them on your actions at
any time you leave your tasked work area. They may also require updates from
you as you are working.
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The SAR Dog Team Sector Commander will be
responsible for recording where you are at any time. This is in conjunction
with the relevant sector commanders and you must not enter or leave without
advising these persons.
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Once the Incident is over, or moves from the
rescue to the recovery stage and your assistance is no longer required, you
must report to the SAR Dog Team Sector Commander and advise them that you
are leaving the site. The SAR Dog Team Sector Commander will then report to
the Incident Commander through Command Support.
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No dog handler is to speak direct to the
press. Any incident will have an agreed structure and process for dealing
with the media. This press strategy will have been agreed by the senior
managers of the incident and if required you will be asked to give an
interview through this process.
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