Lithuanian rescuers seek international certification in rubble operations

Lithuanian rescuers have begun a 36-hour exercise in Vilnius District to qualify for an international certificate, LRT reported. The State Fire and Rescue Service team is searching for victims in simulated rubble and practising extracting them from beneath concrete structures.

Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas said it was important for Lithuania to have a team capable of providing international assistance, as this strengthens the country’s credibility and could help it receive assistance from other countries if needed.

“The best thing would be for such events not to happen, but if they do, we need to be prepared,” Katelynas told reporters at the exercise site.

The exercise aims to classify Lithuania’s International Assistance Team as a light-level urban search and rescue team meeting the requirements of the United Nations International Search and Rescue Advisory Group, known as INSARAG.

Lithuania’s team previously received the certificate in 2011 and 2016. The certification is renewed every five years. INSARAG experts from the Czech Republic, Türkiye, Romania, Oman, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and other countries are assessing the team’s work.

The team taking part in the exercise consists of 20 members: 16 State Fire and Rescue Service officers, two dog handlers from the State Border Guard Service with their dogs, and two paramedics from the Emergency Medical Service.

Kęstutis Agintas, deputy director of the Fire and Rescue Department, said the team was prepared to travel to a disaster site up to 10,000 kilometres from Lithuania. Depending on the country where a disaster occurred, the rescuers could travel by air, road or water.

Agintas said Lithuania was seeking certification for a light-level urban search and rescue team because its main advantage was mobility. A smaller team can reach a disaster site more quickly, which is particularly important during the first days of a rescue mission.

The team’s capabilities could also be used in Lithuania, officials said. Building collapses could occur within the country, and the team would be prepared both to carry out rescue operations and to receive similar teams from other countries.

During certification, the team must meet more than 115 different requirements, said Gediminas Šukšta, an adviser in the Fire and Rescue Department’s Force Management Board.

The exercises require rescuers to find a person in rubble, break through concrete slabs horizontally and vertically, from above and below, extract the victim, provide medical assistance and evacuate them from the disaster site.