WMFS International Search and Rescue (ISAR) Team

The WMFS ISAR team have spent 2 days in Cardiff doing a Level 3 water rescue requal. We are deployed to all sorts of natural disasters including floodings so it was a great chance to do some practical scenarios in swift water #ukisar #waterrescue

Yesterday team member Jim McParland talked to us about our mental health. UKISAR team members are exposed to some difficult sights. We're lucky to have professionals like Laura H F Jones to turn to as well as many other channels through the Brigade.

Whilst the team were on our training deployment in Kinver our new CEO of @westmidsfire Oliver Lee came to visit. It was a fantastic opportunity for Oliver to see what we do and what our role is as part of UKISAR #wmfs #ukisar #searchandrescue

Last week the team took part in 'Kinverstan 6'. The 4 day exercise involved setting up the BOO for a heavy team, practical deployment exercises and workshops. Our WMFS team worked hard in the C&C tent and going out as Embed's with worksite teams #ukisar #searchandrescue

As the Command and Control team we are responsible for a lot of equipment. The team have spent a lot of time recently reorganising the equipment cage, doing a full equipment inventory to make sure everything is there and making sure it's well maintained and charged #ukisar

@fire_scotISAR @UK_ISAR_TEAM Well done!

The team has successfully concluded our 2024 recruitment with 3 new team members joining the ranks. Held in the Cairngorms, the recruits covered in excess of 30 miles on foot and completed a variety of problem solving tasks along the way. A phenomenal effort from all involved!

Ever heard of Challenge Coins? They're more than just tokens – they symbolize honour, camaraderie, and dedication. At #UKISAR teams are awarded with these special coins to recognize their outstanding service, dedication, and contributions. 📸Celebrating 30 years of #UKISAR with our commemorative 30-year challenge coin! #UKISAR #ChallengeCoins #CoinCommemorationFriday #CoinSwap #Trade

A fantastic video of this year's cold weather training in Sweden. It follows team 1 as they learned new skills and then put them into practise for a 3 day exercise living out in the field. Good practise for deployments in colder temperatures facebook.com/share/v/KBJEEw…

Last month a team from UK ISAR travelled to Malawi to conduct capacity building initiatives. They provided boat operator training and utilised practical and theory input. The aim was to provide the local team with skills and knowledge to handle disaster situations in their region

Did you know.... #UKISAR teams are on duty 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. The team responds rapidly to humanitarian emergencies including earthquakes, floods and wildfires internationally on behalf of @FCDOGovUK. 📸Turkey Earthquake, February 2023

Updates from #UKISAR in Malawi! Combining theory & practical sessions, our team is empowering locals with essential boat operator training for enhanced search & rescue capabilities. Building capacity for future emergencies! #CapacityBuilding #Malawi #SearchAndRescue

A 2nd team went out to Sweden for cold weather training where they experienced -26 some nights! They worked really well as a team ensuring no one suffered any cold weather injuries. They took part in Exercise Cold Snap, a multi-day earthquake scenario and performed well #ukisar

One of The Kennel Club Hero Dog finalist is Search & Rescue dog, Vesper, and her handler Niamh. They are the finalist in the category extraordinary life of a working dog. Watch their full story and vote for your favourite at crufts.org.uk/HDA.

Our team could be deployed any where in the world so it's important that we train to prepare for any kind of weather conditions. A team from UKISAR went out to Sweden to take part in a 3 day exercise out in the forest where they did a variety of taskings in -14 temperatures

It's a year to the day that the UKISAR team deployed to Turkey, following the devastating earthquake. Our thoughts remain with those impacted and affected by the earthquake

The WMFS ISAR team were shocked and saddened to hear of the death of our CFO Wayne Brown. We extend our thoughts and condolences to Wayne's family. As our CFO Wayne was incredibly supportive of our work and was always proud to recognise our achievements. He will be deeply missed.

We are devastated to announce that our Chief Fire Officer, Wayne Brown, was this morning found dead at his home. Our thoughts and love are with his family, friends and colleagues. Please click below to read our statement: wmfs.link/3u6MR0c

A busy day for water/ice rescues for @WestMidsFire @WMFSTechRescue another wild bird rescue. This time an injured goose at a frozen Netherton canal. Assisted by crews from @WMFSHadenCross and @RSPCA_official @RSPCA_Frontline #StaySafe

The team have spent the last 3 days in the Lake District practising some winter navigation skills. They had some theory input on map reading, plotting a route and then the next day successfully navigated to the top of Helvellyn. #ukisar

Last day of the USAR course for our team members. Today they learned about Lifting and Moving and got hands on with transferring concrete blocks from one area to another as well as using the airbags to lift other heavy objects. #ukisar #searchandrescue #usar