OPERATIONAL INFORMATION

INTRODUCTION

 The primary role of an Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Dog Team is to assist the Fire & Rescue Services (FRS) in dealing with search phases of incidents.

 In addition to USAR, the secondary role is urban / rural lowland search, giving assistance to local FRS and/or Police Forces for location of missing persons.  The teams are on call 365 days a year for immediate deployment to incident’s and are made up of FRS personnel from USAR FRS located throughout the UK.

DEFINITION OF SEARCH DOG TEAM

 A search dog team consists of one dog and handler, together with a safety coordinator.

 FRS dog handlers will be qualified USAR Technicians and will be licensed by the Chief Fire Officers Association’s (CFOA) to the national USAR canine standard.

 USE OF SEARCH DOG TEAM

 Search Dog Teams can be used to support the Incident Commander in the following areas:

 ·        The excellent scenting capabilities of dogs can be used within a collapsed structure to detect the presence of live casualties and help to identify their location either on or within the collapsed structure.

 ·        They are able to search large open areas in a short space of time, compared to using large numbers of FRS personnel or other equipment.   

 ·        Confidence to close the search phases of an incident having used the full range of search capabilities available.

 METHODS OF DETECTION

 There are three methods of detection available for use in locating casualties:

 ·        Scent  - Dog search, which works on detecting the scent of a living person.

·        Sound -  Listening devices.

·        Vision  - Cameras that show images in confined spaces.

 Used individually, the above technical search tools all have limitations. However, when combined, they form a comprehensive technical search capability available to Incident Commanders in order to identify and determine the location of the live casualties.

 This systematic technical search process should be utilised by the Incident Commander in order to formulate a rescue plan, when casualties are located. 

It must be remembered, that a dog team is an effective tool, but must not be relied upon as being the only element.  Dogs should be used in conjunction with the above search detection tools for collapse structures.

 For open area searches, the use of helicopters, thermal imaging and search teams should also be considered.

 USES OF FRS DOG TEAMS 

The dog team(s) can support an Incident Commander at an incident in 2 ways:

 1.Positive searching Incidents:

Where there is positive intelligence that persons are missing.

2, Negative Searching Incidents:

Where there is a likelihood that persons are missing and you require a search of the area to confirm that this is not the case. 

A dogs scenting capabilities allow their effective use in a variety of different operational scenarios.  

 Caused by:

BUILDING & COLLAPSE STRUCTURE SEARCHES 

Areas were the dog team (highlighted in blue) can be used in the 6 phases of a USAR incident. 

Primary search (Reconnaissance & Survey or Primary Surface Rescue)

The first search conducted by the dog team on their arrival at the incident should be a comprehensive full area search that includes the immediate area of the collapse, the resulting rubble pile and the collapsed structure itself.

 The main purpose of this search is to locate those casualties that are relatively easy to locate and rescue. A secondary purpose is to identify potential areas that can then be the subject of other technical search activities (Delsar, Search Cameras, etc)

 Secondary Search (Exploration of voids & Spaces)

 As rescue operations continue and the debris is removed, more voids may be uncovered that will require more precise searches by the dogs.

 Sweep Search (Access by selected debris Removal)

 As the layers of rubble are removed, it is good practice to recommit the search dogs every few hours in order that they can sweep the whole site to locate any scent channels that may have been opened during the rubble removal.

 Use of Second Dog for building collapses

 A second dog should always be committed so as to verify any indications or points of interest obtained by the first dog at any of the phases of a rescue operation.

IMMEDIATE AREA SEARCHES

 Hasty Search 

A search whose purpose is to cover the most obvious places a subject might be in the least time possible.  Usually the first kind of search tactic to be utilised, this type of search must then be followed up with a grid search if unsuccessful. 

Grid Search 

The dog covers the area by quartering the area and searching it methodically.  The space between each pass will be dependant on weather and terrain.

 ADVANTAGES OF SEARCH DOGS 

·        They are quick & effective in covering large open areas

·        They can locate Multiple Victims

·        They can detect deeply buried casualties that may not be observed by visual /audio search techniques (Search Cam, Snakeye, Delsar etc )

·        They can locate unconscious victims who would not be located by acoustic search techniques.

·        The dog can work remotely from a handler in a high risk area.

·        They are very mobile and can be moved quickly and effectively to multiple search sites.

·        By working on scent, they can enable the handler to interpret complex and, at times, conflicting information. 

LIMITATIONS OF SEARCH DOGS

 ·        It must be remembered that a search dog is not infallible and as it is in effect a living, non-verbal animal, its effectiveness being dependent upon the handler’s ability to correctly interpret the information offered by the dog.

·        The dogs’ ability to detect human scent can some times be affected by the additional scents that are generated from collapse structure incidents (chemical components, environmental conditions etc).

·        They respond and react to human scent, and can react to scent emanating from other people i.e. rescuers. 

·        Will only detect live casualties.

·        If the scent of a casualty is not detected, the casualty’s position may be air tight due to the type of collapse being encountered. Also, climatic conditions can have an effect i.e. temperature, air hu­midity, where the scent can be suppressed, preventing the dog from detecting the scent.   

·        The information they can provide must be interpreted by the handler.

·        Collapse structure dogs are trained not to respond to deceased victim’s, however there is no exact time scale to when scent changes from live to dead (see paragraph on human remains detection dogs).

·        They can get tired, hot and stressed.

·        They require a minimum of 6 hours undisturbed rest in every 24hr period.

HOW A SEARCH DOG WORKS

 A dog’s sense of smell is thousands of times more developed than a human being.

 Research has indicated that the dogs’ scent capability works in the range of = ppb (parts per billion – compared to normal fire and rescue service measuring equipment which work in parts per million - ppm).  

Therefore, search dogs are capable of detecting the scent that emanates speciffically from a live casualty.  

The scent can be made up of a combination of air borne and ground borne scent.  This scent is also made up of a combination of scents associated with a specific individual and is influenced by their sex, creed, their working environment, diet and clothing. This combination is known as a ‘scent picture’.  

The following diagram indicates some of the materials that contribute to the scent picture.

 The Scent Picture

 The scent picture is carried on the wind or by thermal currents and the dog is trained to detect these scents, its response being to locate the origin of the scent. 

 Dependent on the circumstances, this scent can travel a considerable distance and can be identified by a dog working a long way (for example 400 metres in open area searches) from the originator. The scent spreads out from the casualty, forming, in effect, a cone of scent that is at its strongest at the casualty, diluting in strength as the size of the cone increases. The dog detects the cone of scent and then works its way to where the scent is at its strongest.

The scent should be strongest at the casualtys location, especially when they are located on the surface or immediate sub surface of a collapsed structure, the scent picture originating from a deeply buried casualty may escape from the structure a considerable distance from the casualty’s location.

 The interactions described are often referred to as the ‘scent channel’ and must be considered by the handler when trying to verify and establish the casualty’s location with the support of other technical search equipment. 

In a collapsed structure, there may be more than one ‘scent channel’ because of the air currents that are at work. This is due to the complexities of the voids and channels within the collapsed building environment.

 Equally there may be more than one casualty in close proximity.

 COMPOSITION OF SEARCH DOG TEAM

 A search dog team consists of one dog and handler, together with a safety coordinator.

 THE ROLE OF THE DOG HANDLER

 The qualified FRS dog handler is responsible for the dog and the canine element of the search. They know the capabilities, strengths and weakness of their dogs and must control the conduct of the search and observing its body language.  

 The handler must be satisfied that the dog is not expected to work beyond its capabilities. 

 THE ROLE OF SAFETY COORDINATOR 

 The safety coordinator plays a key role within the dog team’s safe system of work.  They are responsible for the handler’s health and safety and therefore only primary skilled USAR personnel should be used. 

 DEPLOYMENT OF DOG TEAMS

 When deploying to an incident, each search dog team must be attached to either a USAR team for a USAR incident or, for open area searches, to either a FRS or Police Force.  The dog teams do not operate independently and therefore require support from the organisation with primacy to function safely and effectively.

 To be effective, dog teams should be requested and tasked at the earliest opportunity.

 RESOURCING INCIDENTS

 Collapsed structure searches  

A minimum of two dog teams are required for any single collapsed strucure incident in order to confirm the outcomes of the first dogs search results.

Open Area / Building searches

 One dog team is sufficient for small searches, however, depending on the size of the area to be searched, this could require a number of dog teams.  The handler will be able to support the Incident Commander with this advice.

 For example,

 ·         Missing person with request from Police Force for assistance, or;

 ·         Major transport incident and/or large surrounding area needing to be searched. 

HUMAN REMAINS DETECTION DOGS  

Fire Service search dogs are trained to identify the presence of scent emanating from a live casualty and will ignore the scents associated with the decomposition of human flesh. The provision of dogs that will locate the scent associated with dead bodies or body parts is available through some Police forces in the UK.  

Using dogs to search for dead bodies must be managed sensitively as the families of the missing persons may believe that the relative(s) are still alive.  

CONCLUSION 

It must be remembered that a search dog team is an integral element of a USAR team and must not be looked upon as a separate entity.  The dog teams can be detached from their parent FRS USAR Unit and may be deployed anywhere in the country to cover a protracted incident. Dog teams will work under the direction of the FRS that has required there attendance in accordance with the Incident Command System (ICS). 

The dog teams work in hazardous surroundings on a regular basis and are experienced in working safely in high risk areas. For canine search activities the handlers (and dogs) have received extensive training in FRS USAR operations and are equipped with personal protective equipment for operating in the USAR environment.