A. Purpose
To provide guidance for wilderness and urban search and rescue operations.
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B. Scope
1. This ESF addresses wilderness and urban search and rescue operations, and includes search and rescue on the ground, from the air, or in the water.
2. Planning for every search and rescue situation is beyond the scope of this ESF.
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A. The Pierce County Sheriff's Department (PCSD) is responsible for all search and rescue operations which includes searching for persons injured by a natural disaster and heavy urban search and rescue (US&R) operations (RCW 38.52). The Pierce County Public Works Department (PWD) is the lead agency for the provision of heavy equipment. The Pierce County Planning and Land Services Department (PALS), Building Division, is the lead agency for providing technical advice concerning structures.
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B. It is the policy of Pierce County that US&R operations be a team effort of law enforcement, fire services, volunteers, other agencies, and the private sector.
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A. Emergency/Disaster Conditions and Hazards
Refer to the Pierce County Hazard Identification and Vulnerability Analysis.
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B. Planning Assumptions
1. US&R operations, or water rescue, will be a team effort of law enforcement, fire service, trained search and rescue (SAR) personnel and other agencies as appropriate under the Incident Command of the appropriate response agency.
2. People will become lost, injured, or killed while outdoors, requiring SAR activities.
3. An emergency or disaster can cause buildings to collapse, or leave people stranded due to rising water, threatening lives and requiring prompt SAR, or medical care.
4. Large numbers of local residents and volunteers will initiate activities to assist in SAR operations and will require coordination and direction.
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A. Search and rescue is defined by state law (RCW 38.52) as the act of searching for, and rescuing, any person who is lost injured or killed in the out of doors, or as a result of a human caused or natural disaster. The chief law enforcement officer of a political subdivision (county, city or town) is responsible for ground SAR operations (RCW 38.52.400). As such, the PCSD is responsible for SAR operations in the unincorporated areas of Pierce County and may, by agreement or upon request, support SAR operations in cities and towns within Pierce County.
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B. The primary source of personnel for SAR comes from volunteers, particularly the Pierce County SAR Council. The Pierce County Department of Emergency Management (DEM) and the PCSD work in cooperation with the SAR Council providing appropriate training and support.
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C. Additional SAR resources may be requested through the state Emergency Management Division duty officer. The DEM duty officers provide the coordination for such outside resources.
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D. If additional urban search and rescue capabilities are needed, this may be accomplished through mutual aid with existing jurisdictions which have the capability, or, if they are impacted by a major event, through a request to the state for additional resources from the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System.
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A. Primary Agency
1. Sheriff's Department
a. lead agency for SAR operations.
b. responsible for lost person search and rescue and coordination of US&R operations.
c. responsible for informing the DEM duty officer of the need for SAR resources from outside of Pierce County.
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B. Support Agencies
1. Pierce County Departments
a. Emergency Management
support SAR operations with resource coordination and activation of the Pierce County Emergency Operations Center (EOC), if required by the scope of the event.
b. Public Works
provide heavy equipment to support rescue operations.
c. Public Safety Answering Points
support SAR operations with prompt dispatch activities.
2. Fire Services
Provide limited response to SAR in off-road situations and coordination and resources for heavy rescue operations.
3. Volunteer Organizations
Pierce County SAR Council Member Organizations
Establish membership standards in accordance with county policy and keep DEM informed of latest active membership lists and call-out procedures.
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