Re USAR - Maybe heres the answer we should all read...... it speaks for its self!
It appears our brothers interstae have it all wrapped up and in hand - no arguing here who has the role, both at home and abroad!
Message from NSWFB Commissioner Greg Mullins - Dated Monday - October 10.
"Following the weekend earthquake, the Government of Pakistan requested international assistance for disaster relief. A number of Governments dispatched Urban Search & Rescue (USAR) teams under bi-lateral arrangements that they had in place with the Pakistani Government.
On Sunday and today, as the national contact-person for USAR response, I have been in discussions with the Director General of Emergency Management Australia (EMA), the Commissioner of the Queensland Fire & Rescue Service (which at present is on-call for international USAR response), and the Director General of the Queensland Emergency Services Bureau.
At the same time, the Rescue Section and EMA monitored requests from the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) via the web-based "Virtual On-site Coordination Centre" (OSOCC). As of yesterday morning, the situation was as follows:
* There had been no direct request to the Australian Govt for USAR support
* A number of other countries including the UK, China, Japan, Turkey and Estonia had dispatched USAR teams to Pakistan to assist, and the Pakistani and Indian military were engaged in rescue / relief operations.
* There are very significant logistical challenges, as roads, communication and other infrastructure have been severely damaged.
* There is a significant need for food, clothing, medicine, water, shelter, and heavy-lift helicopters capable of working at high altitudes.
This morning, the UN reported on the OSOCC that no further rescue assistance is required. The Australian Government has focussed its efforts on providing humanitarian aid including water purification, food, and medicine. It is now highly unlikely that there will be an Australian USAR response, and if there is, it will be from the on-call (Qld) team. The NSWFB and QFRS, as the two international response task forces, work on a rotation basis.