Tehran – The Tehran Disaster Mitigation and Management Organization is hosting the International City Search and Rescue (USAR) course, which begins Monday and concludes Thursday.
Representatives from the Tehran Fire Department and Safety Services Agency, as well as the Tehran Disaster Mitigation and Management Agency (TDMMO) are taking part in the course.
Emergency and elimination instructors in the consequences of natural disasters in the Russian Federation (EMERCOM) provide training discussions online, Mehr News Agency reported.
This course covers topics such as the history, methodology, objectives, structure, and evaluation of the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), including the five principles of its search and rescue process, key actions at each stage, documents and forms required by the USAR team, ethical considerations, and external classification of Insarag.
Tdmmo head Ali Nasiri has expressed optimism that the current training course will lay the basis for Iran’s membership in Insarag. So far, over 70 organizations from 90 countries have successfully joined Insarag.
Once the current course is completed, Insarag Secretariat and Emercom instructors will hold in-person coordination (UC) courses in Tehran during the current month of Iran (April 21 to May 21), Nasiri added.
Simulation exercises (SIMEX) and 36-hour full-scale exercises (full-scale) are also scheduled to be carried out in Tehran, and the country is expected to achieve international classification in 2026.
The Tehran Crisis Management team is taking part in the Insarag course
The TDMO team represented Iran in the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) training course, which was carried out in cooperation with the Russian Federation (EMERCOM) and the UN Humanitarian Cooperative Association (OCHA) to eliminate the outcomes of natural disasters.
A specialized training course aimed at improving coordination and command of international search and rescue operations, focusing on Incident Command Management System (ICMS). Irna reported on April 15th.
Instructors from Armenia, Brazil and Turkish taught participants about coordination and management of international search and rescue operations with the help of specialized software. They also became familiar with the principles of data collection and processing systems over the week.
Additionally, the operations team was taught how to quickly send information from an emergency to the International Search and Rescue Coordination Center via smartphones or similar devices.
The ICMS is used to work with the authorities of the affected countries by processing, summarizing and determining priority areas for receiving relief and rescue services.
Designed according to the INSARAG standard, ICMS is currently used by internationally accredited teams and is deployed in rescue missions in various countries, including Lebanon, Libya, Turkey, Morocco, Thailand and Myanmar.
In March 2024, Iran’s Red Crescent Association (IRCS) and Tehran Fire Station were evaluated by Insarag and Emercom.
The first assessment mission took place from March 9th to 14th, achieving international classification according to Insarag standards.
Capacity building is at the heart of Insarag, and members of the Russian Federation have agreed to provide technical expertise to support this initiative as members of the Insarag network.
Throughout the week-long mission, representatives from Insarag and Emercom met with Iranian officials and visited the IRCS Relief and Rescue Centre and the Tehran Fire Station training centre.
The mission was launched in response to requests from Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was facilitated by the Tehran disaster mitigation and management agency on behalf of the National Disaster Management Organization (NDMO).
This mission established a roadmap for the remaining steps prior to completion of the classification process.
mt/mg