Salinas Rural is a member of the Monterey County Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team. The team was certified as a “Heavy Rescue Team” by the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES) in February 2004. The team is comprised of firefighters from Monterey City Fire Department, North County Fire District and Salinas Rural Fire District.

Urban Search and Rescue involves the location, rescue (extrication), and initial stabilization of victims trapped in confined spaces. Structural collapse is most often the cause of victims being trapped, but victims may also be trapped in transportation accidents, mines and collapsed trenches.

Urban Search and Rescue is considered a "multi-hazard" discipline, as it may be needed for a variety of emergencies or disasters. This means that the personnel and the rescue apparatus can now be called upon to respond anywhere in the state to assist in the event of a variety of emergencies or disasters including earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons, storms and tornadoes, floods, dam failures, technological accidents, terrorist activities, and hazardous materials releases.

 

At the Monterey County level, this team is staffed 24 hours a day to handle virtually any type of rescue that can occur. Each OES Heavy Rescue team member attended technical training of well over 200 hours.

Salinas Rural Fire has built a new rescue unit specializing in ‘Trench Rescue” operations. The rescue unit was made possible by funding through the office of Homeland Security and the Monterey County Office of Emergency Service (OES).

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