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