Japan has been hit by numerous natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons. From November 8 to 11, 75 members of the Japan Disaster Relief Team (JDR) took part in an international evaluation test of their skills and abilities, The team was re-certified as “Heavy,” the highest level of evaluation. We asked Mr. Tsukasa Katsube, a member of JDR and a JICA international cooperation specialist who also serves as an evaluator for other countries, what kind of training they have gone through in order to save the lives of those in front of them at the scene of a disaster.
Japan, a disaster-prone country, applies its experience to developing countries
As large-scale natural disasters continue to occur around the world, especially in developing countries with weak economies and social infrastructures, many lives are lost due to inadequate rescue operations at the time of disaster. Japan, which is prone to natural disasters, began government-based international emergency relief activities in 1979 in an effort to apply the wealth of rescue experience and technical know-how it had accumulated to developing countries. JDR has been dispatched more than 160 times.
Katsube says, “In the support we dispatch from Japan, a disaster-prone country, we value not only the technical aspects but also the sense of being there for the people we are helping.” As a member of the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team and JDR, he has experienced numerous disaster sites, including the 2013 typhoon in Leyte, Philippines, the 2015 Vanuatu cyclone and Nepal earthquake, and the 2017 earthquake in central Mexico. I have seen the victims of these disasters, and I know that they are the ones who know what is needed the most right now. Therefore, while improving their activities, relief workers need to listen to the needs of the survivors and be mindful of how they can help them. I truly understand this feeling because I have been a survivor myself.
Tsukasa Katsube, JICA International Cooperation Specialist
JDR, for which JICA serves as the secretariat, consists of a rescue team, a medical team, an infection control team, a team of experts, and a Self-Defense Forces unit. Of these, the rescue team consists of leading experts in diverse fields, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Police Agency, Fire and Disaster Management Agency, Japan Coast Guard, JICA registered medical teams, structural assessment experts, and operations coordinators, and The team has world-class capabilities.
INSARAG accreditation, essential for international dispatches
The rescue team took the IER (INSARAG External Reclassification) examination administered by INSARAG (International Search and Rescue Advisory Group), a network of international search and rescue teams. INSARAG was established in 1991 in response to the 1988 earthquake in Armenia, which placed a burden on the affected countries due to a lack of coordination among rescue teams dispatched from various countries.
INSARAG’s certification system classifies the competence of international search and rescue teams from various countries into “heavy,” “medium,” and “light” categories, in descending order. The certification exam evaluates a team’s abilities on more than 170 checkpoints, and a team fails the exam if it receives even one red rating out of a three-point scale of green, yellow, and red. On the other hand, a heavy certification means that the team is recognized as highly competent in terms of rapid dispatch, self-contained operations, advanced and safe rescue, and ability to coordinate with the government of the affected country,” says Katsube.
JDR rescue teams have been dispatched overseas 20 times in the past (photo shows activities during the 2017 earthquake in central Mexico).
Since the certification test began in 2005, more than 60 teams from around the world have taken the test by October of this year. The Japanese team was awarded “Heavy” in the first IEC (INSARAG External Classification) in 2010, then again in 2015, and this time, due to the new Corona, they took the renewal examination for the second time in seven years.
The IEC/IER is not only a place to check the technical capabilities of JDR rescue teams, but also a place where teams from other countries look to determine whether they can smoothly conduct international search and rescue operations and whether they are trustworthy. For us, it is a test that we must not fail. Mr. Katsube, who has been involved in many team examinations as an evaluator himself, stresses this point.
From “yellow” to “green,” the result of repeated training.
The test was conducted in the setting of an earthquake in a hypothetical Trinian country, with search and rescue operations to be conducted at six disaster sites within 30 hours of arrival at the airport in the affected country. The situation of the disaster site, including nearly collapsed buildings and debris, was realistically reproduced, and two units were assigned to search and rescue those in need of rescue. For example, in the plaza called “Bluebird Park” at Site 6, park workers and parents and children were interviewed about the situation they were involved in when the building collapsed, and they entered the collapsed building using rescue dogs, subterranean acoustic probes, and other equipment to search for and identify those in need of rescue and to rescue them. The question was whether they could search for and identify the rescuers in need of help and rescue them, and whether they could respond quickly to the unforeseen situation where a rescue dog was injured.
Earthquake affected area recreated at Site 6
Assumption is that facilities in the plaza have collapsed and rescuers are trapped in the debris.
With only four items receiving a “yellow” in the previous certification, JDR’s rescue team has focused on further improvement and practical training. One particular area of focus has been thorough safety management. In order to ensure safety not only at the rescue site, but also at the campsite and during transportation, the system to monitor the movement of rescue team members was updated and the number of staff in charge was increased,” Katsube recalls.
Logistical support for search and rescue operations is another important aspect of the project. The JICA operations coordinators assigned to the rescue team greatly improved water and sanitation at the camp where the rescue team was camped. The team members used to wipe their bodies with wet wipes to ensure hygiene, but now we have adopted a hot shower system that incorporates wastewater recycling technology developed by a Japanese company to ensure that the team members can stay comfortable even at disaster sites where water use is limited.
Various exercises were incorporated within the limited time available, including a scenario in which a member of the team was injured.
Responsibility to be the first to enter the disaster area and play a coordinating role
Another area where JDR raised the bar was in its ability to “coordinate internationally. In this test scenario, JDR’s ability to negotiate and coordinate the many support teams that arrived later was tested, based on the assumption that JDR would enter the disaster area ahead of other countries.
Mr. Katsube explains the importance of coordination at the disaster site: “Some of the affected countries are not aware of the INSARAG coordination mechanism. Some of the affected countries are not familiar with INSARAG’s coordination mechanism, so the first step is to explain to them the importance of coordination among rescue teams in order to save as many lives as possible, and that we can play a role in this coordination. The coordinator is responsible for determining the methods and procedures for communicating information to the teams in each country, so that the teams that come in later can proceed smoothly with their relief activities, thereby reducing the burden on the affected countries.
JDR has moved forward from all previous “yellows” to “greens,” and has received a record number of “best practices” ratings from the assessors.
To maximize our strength in times of disaster
Mr. Katsube says that his continued presence in the field of international emergency relief activities “is also a way of repaying the support we received from all over the world after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Re-accreditation is important. However, it is only a recognition that you have met the minimum standards for international deployment, not a promise that you will be able to save lives. In order to actually be deployed and save lives, we are required to work tirelessly so that we can exert our maximum strength in the disaster area. You never know when a disaster will strike. Once we are called upon to help, we must be there quickly and be fully prepared to save those who are waiting under the rubble to be rescued.
The JDR Rescue Team is expected to play an increasingly active role in the future as a heavy certified team. We will continue to take on the challenge of saving as many lives as possible.
In addition to the rescue teams that participated in the certification test, a total of about 200 people, including instructors, evaluators, and administrators from overseas, participated in the certification test.
© Source JICA
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