Heavy Urban Search and Rescue Team
The Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) task force is a special operations team of up to 120 members with medical, fire supression, emergency response, search and rescue, and engineering backgrounds.
The task force practices advanced rescue techniques, to prepare for events that involve rescue from structural collapse, confined spaces, high angles, as well as technical search strategies, and the use of trained search dogs. This video features a slideshow of the grand opening of the team's training centre.
The members of the team consist of representatives from the following organizatinos:
- Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services
- Vancouver Police Department
- City of Vancouver
- BC Ambulance Service
- Emergency BC
- Public Safety Canada
- Independent medical physicians
The HUSAR task force has been deployed to aid in global crises like the Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The team continues its grueling training regimen to remain constantly at the ready in the case should Vancouver experience a similar event.
