Experts from across the UK carry out specialist search and rescue exercises at Waddington Training Centre.
Specialist search and rescue experts gathered at Waddington Training Centre for exercises designed to test their readiness for international emergencies over the last week.
UK ISAR is the official UK Government response to international disasters, funded and supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
The team is made up of specialist personnel drawn from fire and rescue services across the UK, as well as specialist volunteers. Together they are trained and equipped to provide life-saving assistance in the aftermath of disasters worldwide.
Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue have several firefighters that are qualified to be part of the elite team, including an ultra-specialist dog handler and urban search and rescue dog, who were most recently deployed as part of rescue efforts following the Turkish and Moroccan earthquakes in 2023.
Ahead of an International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) reclassification exercise, which allows UKISAR to continue to respond to emergencies on behalf of the UK Government, mock exercises are being carried out at Waddington Training Centre to internationally recognised standards.
Around 75 personnel and 10 tonnes of equipment, coming from all corners of the UK, have been involved in the exercises that finished on Friday 9 May.
Tasked with responding to a mock earthquake, specialist teams and volunteers have been dealing with collapsed buildings, tower cranes, train derailments, and live rubbish piles - searched thoroughly by our very own search and rescue dog, Colin, and handler Neil.
It forms a vital part of the UK’s ongoing commitment to maintaining the ability to respond to major incidents and humanitarian emergencies worldwide.
Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue's Neil Woodmansey and Colin are a key part of UKISAR's rescue efforts
On the exercises taking place at Waddington Training Centre, Mark Baxter, Chief Fire Officer, sad: “We’ve been very excited to welcome colleagues from across the country to Lincolnshire and to help support the important work of UKISAR.
“Having the opportunity to host an event of this scale and size is a great testament to the reputation of Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue nationally and the quality of the facilities that we are continuing to develop at Waddington Training Centre.
“Only last year, our site won Training Provider of the Year at the Global Search and Rescue Excellence awards, and these exercises are another feather in the cap of the team who work behind the scenes to deliver the high-quality, bespoke training the site is well known for.
“These international exercises also highlight the role of fire and rescue in contributing towards international emergency response capabilities, and the different opportunities available within the fire service.
“Some of our Lincolnshire firefighters with UKISAR classification started out with on-call crews, and over the course of their careers they have developed into search and rescue specialists, with dozens of deployments at home and abroad. It’s yet another thing that the fire service is heavily involved with past putting out fires.
“It’s set to be a great event, and I’m proud that we’re able to fully support this off the back of the fantastic work that we’re doing in Lincolnshire.”
Cllrs Sean Matthews, Rob Gibson, Alex McGonigle and Manzur Hasan visited the site during exercises.