Genre: Information/Explanation

DFES supports the Western Australia Police as a combat authority for urban search and rescue ( USAR ) . The agency has a developed the capability to deal with the rescue of casualties trapped by buildings , landfall or slippage which collapse as a result of industrial accidents , explosions , natural disasters and terrorist activity . Additional funding in recent years has allowed significant advances to be made in the Western Australia's preparedness , response and recovery capabilities for USAR . Category 2 , which qualifies the responder as a technician with the competencies to conduct underground searches , and ; Category 3 , which qualifies the responder to lead a USAR taskforce . To date , all career firefighters are trained to Category 1 ( CAT 1 ) and there are several Category 2 ( CAT 2 ) technicians available to respond to incidents requiring the specialised skills of the USAR Task Force . Western Australia now has a qualified USAR Canine Team to enhance our operational capacity and is the only State with an integrated canine team in its USAR Task Force . It is recognised around the world that canine teams are an essential element in the efficient and speedy location of victims trapped as a result of building collapse or earthquake . We have been working over the past two years to train a team of dogs that meet nationally and internationally recognised standards . The USAR team has adopted the New Zealand standard for USAR Canine Teams . It currently has five dogs in training with the aim of having four qualified dogs in the USAR task force in 2008-09 . A New Zealand dog trainer and assessor were brought to Perth to provide training and assessment of local State Emergency Service dogs , handlers and staff . Two dogs were assessed , one successfully . As a result , Australia has its first canine team integrated into a USAR task force and certified to international standards . National Support During the 2011 Queensland floods , four DFES Fire and Rescue Service USAR technicians worked as part of a national taskforce conducting damage assessment and recovery operations in the Brisbane area , where there was significant damage to residential , industrial and commercial structures . The USAR taskforce performed rapid damage assessments , assessed water levels and structural damage , identified hazards and prioritised tasks in a difficult environment of escalating odours from hazardous materials , putrefying foods and the thick layer of mud left by receding floodwaters . Following the magnitude 6.3 earthquake that occurred in Christchurch on 22 February 2011 , six DFES USAR specialists departed on 4 March 2011 for a 12 day deployment . They joined USAR teams from New Zealand , Australia , USA , UK , Singapore , Taiwan , Japan and China in Christchurch . Working alongside structural engineers , seismologists , geologists , construction workers , crane and digger operators and demolition experts , the USAR team undertook a range of activities while maintaining a state of preparedness to respond to further aftershocks . They searched for missing persons , conducted primary and secondary risk assessments of buildings prior to re-habitation , undertook building marking , cordoning and demarcation of identified collapse zones and assisted police to retrieve personal belongings from damaged buildings . As part of the first Australian multi-jurisdictional USAR task force deployed overseas , DFES team members gained valuable operational experience in a major disaster as well as establishing and extending important ' special risk ' networks across national and international jurisdictions . International Support The relationship between DFES and the Singapore Civil Defence Force was consolidated further through : continued mutual training and professional development exchange opportunities – six career firefighters visited Singapore in December 2006 to undertake USAR CAT2 training . exchange of information and ideas in regard to operational procedures , research and development , equipment and training simulations .