Judges from the U.N. INSARAG award patches to members of Korea's international rescue team. The U.N. advisory group has classified Korea's international rescue team as a ‘Heavy Team.’
The U.N. has ranked Korea’s international disaster relief team as one of the best in the world.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Safety and Security announced on Nov. 18 that the U.N. International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (U.N. INSARAG) has classified the Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) as one of its “Heavy Teams.”
This is the second time that the KDRT has been classified as a Heavy Team. It received the same grade five years ago in 2011.
The Korean team is dispatched to disaster-relief sites to provide support during natural or man-made disasters. It's composed of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Safety and Security, from the National 119 Rescue Headquarters, from the Korea International Cooperation Agency, from the National Medical Center and from the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare.
Members of the KDRT demonstrate how to cut open an automobile (top) and how to search for survivors in a disaster-hit area, on Nov. 17. These training sessions were part of a certification process run by the U.N. INSARAG that took place at a National 119 Rescue Team training center in Namjangju, Gyeonggi-do Province.
The U.N. INSARAG is a network of national bodies from around that world that's dedicated to urban search and rescue (USAR) and operational field coordination. It has 91 member countries and conducts a classification test every five years to rank international relief teams that operate in disaster areas around the globe. There are three levels: Heavy, Medium and Light Teams. The “Heavy Teams” have priority access to international disaster sites in terms of lifesaving and disaster relief.
The latest classification test was overseen by six judges from the U.N. INSARAG who visited Korea from Nov. 14 to 18 and conducted tests at the training site of the special rescue team of the National 119 Rescue Team. The judges assessed the KDRT in a total of 60 categories across 15 sectors. To win the Heavy Team classification, a team had to pass all 60 categories.
A Heavy Team should be able to work at two disaster sites over 10 days in a self-sufficient manner without receiving any help from the host countries. A total of 32 international relief teams from 29 countries are classified as Heavy Teams.
Korea's national rescue teams have been actively participating in international relief activities, volunteering in some 15 cases since 1997 when it was first dispatched to Cambodia for a plane crash. Its most recent operations were after the earthquake in Nepal last year.
The Korean government said that, “Thanks to this latest classification, our national rescue teams will be able to contribute to the international community by practicing humanitarianism at disaster scenes around the globe.”
Judges from the U.N. INSARAG inspect a storage facility of the special rescue team of the National 119 Rescue Team in Namjangju, Gyeonggi-do Province, on Nov. 15.
KDRT rescuers pose for a group photo after a ceremony on Nov. 18 where the national disaster relief teams were praised as being some of the best in the world.
By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Ministry of Public Safety and Security
arete@korea.kr
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