Merry Christmas!

It’s Christmas and we just wanted to say ¨Thank You¨ to all our Blog readers and also it´s been a pleasure working with all this incredible group of people that makes CIRO possible with much love and hard work, always following the team motto ¨That others may live¨.

Hope you and you families have a wonderful Holidays and a Happy New Year!

CIRO

News: IKAR/CISA annual conference in Sweden

The last October 18-25th, The Swedish National Police Board, the Swedish National Environmental Protection Board and CIFRO, were the hosts this year of the IKAR/CISA Conference 2011 in Åre, Sweden; the land of the midnight sun.

IKAR/CISA Conference (the world’s maximun authority in mountain rescue), were the perfect place to share new equipment and techniques between numeorus international mountain rescue teams who participated in this event. Here we present a brief of all what happened in this annual meeting.

News: CIRO Rescuers acknowledged for their dedicated service

On November 10^th, three members of CIRO were presented Alberta Emergency Services Medals by MLA Mary Anne Jablonski , Red Deer County Mayor Jim Wood, and RCMP S/Sgt. Frank Deheer.

Laurie Patterson, Angela Willson and Randy Willson were acknowledged for having committed their time for over 12 years as search and rescue volunteers, providing search and rescue services.

The Alberta Government initiated the Alberta Emergency Services Medal to recognize Alberta emergency services personnel who selflessly dedicated their time, talents and in many cases their lives to the service of others. The medal pays much-deserved tribute to outstanding full time, part-time and volunteer members who have committed 12 or more years of their careers to emergency service in Alberta and recognize personnel from disciplines that are not recognized by any other award.

News: CIRO attends Multi National Exercise

On October 23^rd, 13 members of CIRO travelled to College Station, Texas, where they teamed up with British, Belgian, German and American Urban Search & Rescue (USAR) teams in a mock earthquake scenario. The five day scenario took place at “Disaster City”, a 52-acre installation on the campus of Texas A&M University where a fake, destroyed town was built for the sole purpose of training workers who save lives after mass-casualty events.

The exercise was the first to bring together teams from around the world to show that despite different languages, equipment and techniques, rescuers all can work together for a common purpose- saving lives. This was proven during the week as CIRO team members integrated with the Belgian, German and British teams to conduct search and rescue operations. During the five days, rescuers were presented with five different scenarios which required using skills such as Search, Command, Planning, Logistics, High Angle rescue, Confined Space rescue, Structural Collapse and Wilderness rescue.

Our Canadian team received great kudos from their International partners, and all vowed to train and work again in the future.

News: New CIRO Fundraiser Travel Mug

Which one is your favorite?
Soon available!

News: Update from TEEX

‎13 members from CIRO have just completed a 5 day multinational disaster exercise with teams from all over the world including: 6 teams from The United Kingdom, and teams from Belgium, Germany, and the United States of America.

All teams were evaluated on USAR disaster response skills such as Recon, Size-up, Documentation, GSAR, rope access, shoring, breaching, medical, logistics and command and control. The exercise provided an invaluable opportunity for the team to test its skills amongst the worlds best in the International disaster response community and to no suprise CIRO has been accepted as a peer by these experienced international participants.

Technology: New Timberland Radler Trail Camp shoe

When it's time to gear up, but a few pounds can make a big difference in your backpack when carrying your personal equipment during a mission.

Always have an spare pair of lightweight, comfortable and compact shoes and above all, always dry; is a great advantage to move around to base camp after a day of hiking or working in the field.

Timberland presents this revolutionary new concept called Radler Trail Camp that allows us to take these shoes anytime and anywhere, without compromising the volume and weight of your backpack.

News: Structural Collapse Rescue Training

The Canadian International Rescue Organization (C.I.R.O.) believes that in order to be properly prepared for the hazards associated with Urban Search and Rescue activities and to provide the best level of service to the victims of disaster, it is important to achieve and maintain the highest level of training possible.

October is the start of a very busy training schedule for many of the members of C.I.R.O. as they will be attending structural collapse rescue training at the home of Texas Task Force 1, Disaster City® in College Station, Texas.

During the summer of 2011 members of C.I.R.O. attended both the Planning Officer and Disaster Logistics Specialists courses in order to strengthen the effectiveness of the team’s overhead management. This fall C.I.R.O. members will be attending the following structural collapse rescue courses and an international exercise in order to increase the number of Structural Collapse Technicians and to bring greater depth to the rescue capability of the team.

Structural Collapse Technician 2 – October 14 – 21, 2011

The Structural Collapse Technician 2 course is 80 hours, eight days in length, ten hours of instruction each day, and is designed to provide participants with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform rescue at structural collapse scenes due to natural disasters or human forces.

Click here for the two page flyer for Structural Collapse Technician 2

Multi-national US&R Exercise – October 24 – 28, 2011

This event is a realistic multi-day continuous US&R exercise at Disaster City® that provides teams the opportunity to deploy and immediately begin search and rescue operations in a realistic environment. The exercise provides teams the opportunity to work with others from around the world and to integrate into a realistic largescale disaster. The exercise is designed with multiple overlapping search and rescue scenarios at various levels of complexity that allow teams to identify, coordinate and solve a myriad of situations under realistic timeframes and logistical challenges.

Click here for the two page flyer for the Multi-National US&R Exercise

Advanced Structural Collapse 4 – October 31 – Nov 4, 2011

The Advanced Structural Collapse 4 course is 50 hours and challenges the Structural Collapse Technician even farther with advanced interior shoring problems. The student will become proficient in compound laced post, compound sloped floor shores, confined space shoring, as well as Tie backs. The use of crane support in shoring operations will be practiced. This course concludes with an intensive and realistic nighttime exercise in which the student will employ skills learned during the course. The students are provided multiple scenarios requiring a combination of advanced rescue and shoring techniques.

Click here for the two page flyer for TNG26S

Advanced Structural Collapse 3 – November 7 – 11, 2011

The Advanced Structural Collapse 3 course is 50 hours and challenges the Structural Collapse Technician with advanced exterior shoring problems. The student will expand knowledge of wood shores with multiple insertion point shores, shoring of arches and breached openings. It concludes in an intensive and realistic daytime exercise in which the students employ skills learned during the course. The students are provided multiple scenarios requiring a combination of advanced rescue and shoring techniques.

Click here for the two page flyer for TNG25S

Advanced Structural Collapse 5 – November 28 – Dec 2, 2011

The Advanced Structural Collapse 5 course is 50 hours and challenges the Structural Collapse Technician with advanced problems and takes his/her skills to the next level. The student will expand their knowledge of breaching reinforced concrete through multiple scenarios to include difficult breaches above ground level with fall protection, in Confined Spaces and below ground level. The class will also include steel cutting using petrogen torches. It concludes in an intensive and realistic daytime exercise in which the students employ skills learned during the course.

Click here for the Advanced Structural Collapse 5 two page flyer

Following the courses, the team is sure to be tired but more prepared than ever to respond effectively to disasters anytime, anywhere!

Shawn Hare

CIRO Rescue Manager

Tech Tip: The Purcell Prusik knot

Ever thought that a single knot and a few feet of cord could do so much? Yes. Definitely the ¨Purcell Prusik¨ knot, is an extremely useful tool for all types of vertical works. Follow an stretcher in vertical terrain, having an adjustable attachment point for helicopter operations, use in a ascension system or simply as anchor point.

ATTENTION: This is not a self-arrest system/absorber. Use with proper instruction.

News: Swiftwater training

As part of the annual training of all members within the CIRO, one of the specialties that members should handle is the Swiftwater rescue skills.

This time we show you one of the last training sessions of our members through this video kindly edited by our team member Shawn Hare.

News: From the field. CIRO at Logistics Training Course in TEEX

Only six months with the team and I find my self on my way to TEEX Disaster City in College Station Texas for a one week course. We land in Houston and drive one and a half hours to College Station. The heat is intense and humid 46C° degrees with the humidity. I am on a Logistics training Course with my teammate Randi Butler.

We get to Disaster city and I am at a loss for words. We are met with a derailed passenger train, overturned tanker trucks, collapsed building and collapsed parking parkade.

The class consists of Search and Rescue people from Canada, United States and South Korea. The thing we all have in common is a strong desire to do the job we do just a little bit better, this class makes that goal a reality. Even though we come from all over we have a common goal, a better way of doing our jobs without re inventing the wheel.

The information comes to us fast and furious, it is like trying to take a sip of water through a 2 ½ inch fire hose. The instructors tailor the class to meet all our needs, I walk away with wider eyes and broader perspective of how I can do my job better and more efficiently.

Thank you team for sending me.

Bill Gibbons
Logistics

Technology: New PETZL Vertex Best 2 helmet

The French firm PETZL presented a few months ago their latest model of helmet specifically designed for working at height and rescue, the Vertex Best 2.

In addition to its famous predecessor, the Vertex, this new generation has brought some progress over the previous model thanks to the result of experience and needs of users. PETZL has always being one step ahead of technology equipment and systems of this type remained the same safety standards in electrical conduction, incandescent particles and internal harness, this time redesigning the head restraint as well as attach a practical system (with just one ¨click¨) in the front to their new flashlight, Pixa 3.

Elected by the many USAR teams around the world as an issued helmet for its members, undoubtedly PETZL helmet marked a standard in security and protection that have made this model a favorite of all professionals in the world for both work and rescue.

Technology: New PIXA 3 flashlight from PETZL

Petzl recently announced the launch of a new flashlight specifically made for work and rescue tasks, which is already available in the market; the Pixa 3. According to its intended use, this model has features that differentiate it from other headlamps of the same brand: for example, has an important resistance to shock during accidental falls and compression (more than 80kg. of compression resistance!). Thanks to its construction materials, possesses a remarkable resistance to aggressive substances such as solvents and others.

The ability to rotate on itself and "hide" in this way the main lens, allows protecting and lengthening the life of it, avoiding unnecessary damage to the lens of the flashlight while you keep in your backpack or toolbox. When placed in ¨save¨ position, simultaneously it blocks the function knob to avoid unexpected turn on, resulting in accidental discharge of the batteries.

Here are some other features:

- Supports the use of batteries Li / NiMh.

- IP-67 level protection against water.
- ATEX / HAZLOC certification for use in potential explosive environments.

Three versions are substantially different from the Pixa far as regards its lighting capacity. Pixa 1 model is designed specifically for close work, where good lighting is required, but diffuse. The second model (Pixa 2) allows a focal and diffuse illumination at the same time permanently, covering distances (short and medium). Finally, the model Pixa 3 (in our opinion, the model most suitable for intensive use and versatile) includes two different types of independent LED lighting, providing one diffuse lighting and lighting proximal focal distance on the other, with the possibility of combine both. We consider it important to emphasize the sizes of these 3 models are slightly different from each other.

Unlike the previous line of Petzl headlamps, this new model lacks the ability to regulate the intensity and focus separately, thus preventing increase or decrease the intensity of use near or far. Also, it lacks of ¨ Boost ¨ mode, which is very useful in situations where we must and we need to look beyond a short period, the maximum power that the LED can give us.

An excellent performance flashlight incredibly useful for work or urban rescue, good versatility and self-hardness and resistance to any test.

Technology: Be identified by Road ID

The story began in 1999 when the father of a professional marathon runner, concerned for his son to see him train for hours a week when he came out to do his daily exercises for tens of kilometers on the road, he thought what would happen if he got hit by a truck or a car? That's where he recommended carrying some form of identification with him.

This really made sense, but the dilemma began when the son thought that more than carry identification; his medical information was not available in any hospital and the time to contact his family and then their doctors, would be key to saving his life.

A few months later, father and son released ROAD ID, in order to unify these two concepts: One is the personal identification and the other patient's medical history.

Today, Road ID is one of the most effective identifications worldwide, used by hikers, joggers, cyclists, travelers, children, people with disabilities and why not rescue personnel to be not only identified, but also by a code engraved on the back of identification, medical personnel can access via internet 24 hours to your medical data from anywhere in the world, knowing your entire medical history quickly, which can be loaded on your own, accessing the Road ID's database  and keeping up with medical data, telephone numbers and emergency contacts, expanded details  and more personal information you decide to upload.

This service has an annual fee and really tiny despite being a very simple idea, Road ID has hundreds of actual cases where they have saved many lives.

If you do not want to also subscribe to the database Road ID, don’t worry. The company also lets you engrave with any of your choices Laser Stainless Steel Dog Tags, Bracelets, etc. with a number of characters and lines more than enough for you be identified in an emergency plus select a nice image from their photo base to engrave on the back your country flag, favorite sport logo and more of your choice.

These are some of the reasons the company states on why wear a Road ID:

1.  If you can’t speak for yourself, Road ID will speak for you.

2. Road ID enables First Responders to immediately contact family members and friends.

3. Road ID enables family members to provide additional details about your health or give consent for potentially lifesaving procedures.

4. Road ID enables hospital staff to locate vital medical records.

5. Road ID can communicate medical conditions or allergy information to medical staff.

6. Road ID can prevent serious delays in treatment by saving crucial time during the “golden hour” of medical treatment.

7. It’s far better to have Road ID and not need it than to need Road ID and not have it. It’s not just a piece of gear, it’s peace of mind.

8. Accidents happen far more than you think they do. Each year approximately 450,000 of us are taken to hospitals unconscious and without identification.

9. Road ID looks good on and makes a statement about your athletic lifestyle – not to mention that studies would probably prove that people that wear Road ID are considerably smarter than those that don’t.

10. Road ID can save your Life. Period.

News: What Rescue Management means?

Regardless of how large or complex a search mission becomes, the proper initial actions are identical and crucial to success. Effective initial actions can maximize subject survivability and detection, minimize cost and establish a firm foundation for those incidents that become unusually complex.

A search is defined in general terms as the act of searching for, rescuing or recovering by means of ground, air and water search any person who becomes lost, trapped, injured or killed while outdoors or as a result of a natural or man made disaster.

The definition for CIRO purposes also includes the search for evidence (CSI).

CIRO Search Managers

The role and overall mandate of the CIRO in relation to the search of lost persons is to investigate and coordinate all activity associated with lost and missing persons. That role of managing a formal search is done by a person called a Search Manager.

Background

The CIRO Search Management Program started in 1996 to meet operational and community needs in the city of Red Deer, Alberta when the RDSAR (Red Deer Search & Rescue Team) begun.
Search Managers are high experienced rescue operators who are trained and certified in Search and Rescue Management, which is based on a scientific and lost person profiling approach. Search Managers work in various areas of the rescue team and have search management as an additional duty.
Search Managers are support services to most CIRO operations. They fall under the responsibility of the Team Leader. Search Managers assume overall control of Search and Rescue operations, and liaise with the incident commander during an operation.

Key factors for a successful search

Expertise
Formalized Operational/Strategic Processes
Resources
Networking/Partnerships
Through investigations and subject background

Rescue management
Anyone can learn to lead a rescue operation by using a simple model.
The model can also be used as a tool to build an effective evacuation plan for a building or an area. The following items are not necessarily a chronological sequence but a guideline for a rescue operation, where each items can be interchanged or omitted depending on the accidents extent.

Make an overview
Any rescue operation big or small always begins with the leader creates an overview. First of all, the leader must ensure that he avoid to be injured himself. In addition, the leader make an overview of what has happened, how many people are injured, how big is the damages on the buildings or the area and other possible hazards. These details should later also be used when calling 9-1-1 (US) or 1-1-2 (Europe).

Stop the accident / decrease the accidents development
The leader must try to ensure that the accident do not develop. A major fire can probably not be extinguished, but it is possible to ensure a slower diffusion by closing windows and doors to reduce the oxygen flow.

Acting / paralyzed
Major accidents has to be solved by a "team" and the leader must therefore determine which of the bystanders, he can use in the rescue operation.
Based on each bystanders reaction to the accident, we can put the bystanders into the following four categories:

a) Those who exhibit an appropriate behavior
These are those who can lead the entire or a part of the rescue operation.

b) Those who respond by being shortly paralyzed
Typically people, who have never learned first aid or where it is a long time ago
since they have been on a first aid training course. But these people are also characterized by that they will perform a subtask in the rescue operation, if it
is exactly defined what to do.

c) Those who will respond whit greater psychological reactions

d) Those who respond so violently that they lose the control.

The last two groups (c and d) should not participate in the rescue operation. The successful leader will use the people from group b to perform psychological first aid to these two groups.

The management of different tasks in the rescue operation
In major accidents, there are many tasks to be solved depending on the accidents type and extent. eg. evacuation, calling 9-1-1 (US) / 1-1-2 (Europe), treatment of' injuries, delegating responsibility to people to manage the assembly points, finding access routes for emergency vehicles, etc.. The best leader is the one who enters a step backwards, keeps the general view and place other people/bystanders into different "taskforces".

Prioritizing the injured people
If it is necessary to evacuate the building or area, the first priority is to find out who can be evacuated based on how much injured each person is. We can be in a situation where someone not can be moved without danger for the taskforce.
Only when we have placed the injured people safely in the assembly area, we can prioritize the injured people, and here we prioritize the casualties with life-threatening injuries first.

Roads for rescue vehicles / escape routes
The leader must also have an idea of how the rescue vehicles are coming to the burning building, injured area, assembly points for injured people. He must also have en idea of which escape routes to be used through the building/area by evacuating to the assembly points.

Assembly points for evacuated people
By evacuation the leader must have an idea of, where he will place the assembly points, where it is safe to be until the rescue vehicles arrive, and where the further first aid can be implemented.

Psychological first aid
During the entire rescue operation psychological first aid must be given all time and as much as possible. After the rescue operation should all have psychological first aid - also the leaders. Here it can be necessary with a psychological debriefing by a psychologist.

News: Why CIRO?

CIRO has an established reputation inside the international rescue community, delivering rescue services around the globe in many different types of missions, including wilderness search & rescue, mountain rescue and especially urban search & rescue and rescue management.

The team consists of approximately 30 volunteers skilled in SAR operations, high angle/rope rescue, swift water rescue, emergency medicine, confined space, collapsed structures among other settings.

Our members has also other professional degrees in different fields, plus many language skills like Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, etc. that gives the team, their capability to operate in different places around the world.

To become an active member of CIRO, all the new members have to pass through an extensive background check of their professional skills and qualifications, plus their prior experience in the rescue field. This allows the team to select the best rescue operators among all candidates.

Candidates 90% mostly came out from the RDSAR (Red Deer Search & Rescue Team), in the City of Red Deer in Alberta province, where CIRO has his headquarters.

The RDSAR team provides search and rescue services to:

• Alberta Emergency Plan (AEP)
• RCMP and municipal police services
• Municipal fire services
• AB Ambulance Service
• Other SAR teams in AB and other provinces
• Local and regional governments during civil emergencies

All this field experience is tested by RDSAR operators when they perform approximately 90 search & rescue operations annually. Members participate in different support or rescue categories, depending on individual skills and participation levels. All this experience in conjunction with extensive training programs, allow the rescue operators to become a more suitable candidate for CIRO and perform overseas operations.

The team mission is:

• Establish an organization to search for, rescue and assist persons in distress overseas
• Education
• Assist other organizations with similar purposes
• Provide assistance to civil authorities / rescue management
• Provide advice and expertise

If you are fit, know some of the skills already, have some first aid and are ready to commit serious time and money on this well known team, we want to hear from you. Read the membership section of our website. If you are still interested, download, complete and email in the form along with a cover letter and resume. We´re waiting for you!

Welcome message

Welcome to the CIRO official blog site.

The Canadian International Rescue Organization (CIRO) is a NGO/Non Profit organization made up of volunteers responding to global disasters to provide professional search & rescue services around the world.

The team members of CIRO have been training for many years to develop their skills in areas such as collapsed structure, confined space and high angle rope rescue, as well as disaster technical search. All of these skills combined have given CIRO the capability to respond to any search & rescue situation with professionalism and efficiency.

As volunteers, the members of the team consistently take many hours yearly from their personal lives in order to respond to the world’s emergency needs.

The members bring with them personal skills and equipment that have been purchased with their own funds and also funds that have been donated to the team. Donations of cash or in kind are what make it possible for the members to focus on helping those who need it the most.

If you want to know more about us, please visit our official website HERE.