Unique collaboration with USAR rescue team

We recently had the opportunity to work with the Urban Search And Rescue team (USAR). If there has been a disaster or accident where people are trapped or buried, this specialized assistance team can be deployed. You can think of collapses after gas explosions or earthquakes, for example.

The principals of a demolition project in Rotterdam that we were working on were approached by USAR asking if a building could be made available to conduct a rescue exercise. In the end, an annex building was made available for this exercise. We had it collapse in a controlled manner so that USAR could conduct their rescue exercise.

How did we proceed?

The intention was to create as realistic a simulation as possible, with the emergency workers having to pull "people" out from under the rubble. Of course, no real people were used for this, but dummy dolls.

Detailed plans written out

We first extensively inspected the area around the outbuilding. Then we wrote detailed plans to control the collapse of the outbuilding.

The outhouse stood on tall stilts and was made mostly of wood and steel. We put the dummy dolls in old cars, which we parked under the outhouse. In order not to make things too easy for the rescuers, we placed another large concrete slab on top of the cars. Then we had the outhouse collapse in a controlled manner on top of the cars.

Cranes, drills and saws

Then it was the clean task of USAR rescue workers to free the dummy dolls from their plight. Using a variety of small cranes, drills and saws, the rescuers set to work. After freeing the dummies, we of course cleared the debris.

It was a successful rescue exercise and the USAR responders are again prepared for calamities in the future. For us as a multidisciplinary demolition company, this was of course a unique project of which we are secretly a bit proud ?