Strengthening Regional Disaster Response: USAR Training in the Joint Indo-Pacific Program 2025
From 10–13 November, the second week of the “2025 Joint Indo-Pacific Region Rope Rescue and Urban Search and Rescue (USAR)” program delivered four days of rigorous USAR training at the NFA Training Centre in Nantou County, Taiwan. Building on the rope rescue sessions from week one, participants from Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and the Philippines advanced their skills in structural collapse response, search techniques, victim stabilization, and coordinated team operations.
The training combined theory with intensive hands-on exercises, enabling participants to work with specialized tools and methods essential for responding to collapsed structures and earthquake-related emergencies. Instructors guided teams through procedures such as breaching, lifting, shoring, and safe entry—core competencies for real-time disaster environments.
The final day featured a large-scale earthquake simulation, serving as the capstone of the week’s learning. Participants were divided into functional units: a command team overseeing overall operations, a logistics team supporting equipment and movement, a cutting team handling breaching tasks, and two dedicated rescue teams. Together, they worked through a realistic scenario to locate, access, and safely rescue three trapped victims.
This comprehensive simulation strengthened teamwork, decision-making, and inter-country coordination, reinforcing the program’s mission of enhancing disaster readiness across the Indo-Pacific region.
