Urban Search and Rescue New South Wales AUS-2
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New South Wales Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 1 (or NSWTF/1) was first established as a USAR capability in the lead up to the 2000 Sydney Olympics. After earlier large-scale collapses including the 1977 Granville Train Disaster, 1989 Newcastle earthquake and 1997 Thredbo landslide, Fire & Rescue NSW was legislated as the combat authority for responding to major structural collapse incidents within the state of New South Wales.
The Task Force was classified as a Heavy USAR team by the United Nations INSARAG[1] organisation in 2012. When the NSW USAR Task Force is deployed internationally by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,[2] it assumes the call sign "AUS-2" in line with INSARAG guidelines.[3]
The Task Force is based in Sydney, New South Wales (Australia). It is a capability of Fire & Rescue NSW[4] but is staffed by emergency service workers from many federal and state agencies.
Every state of Australia has a local USAR capability. AUS-2 is one of two Task Forces that deploys internationally to provide international response to natural and man-made disasters – AUS-1 is a capability managed by the Queensland Fire Department.[5]
The NSW USAR team can deploy many capabilities within a 6-hour time frame:
- Heavy USAR team
- Medium USAR team
- Disaster Assistance Team (post cyclone)
- Reconnaissance/Forward assessment team
- Medical Assistance Team (logistics support)
- Hazmat response team