USAR MEMBERSHIP
North County Fire District
Joseph Pastore, Division Chief
Rick Parker
Don Harvey
Michael Meddles
Jess Mendoza
Jeff Tucker
Ron Painter
Brian Wilson
Rick Smith
Aaron Daniels
Manuel Madrigal
Salinas Rural Fire District
Dave Sargenti, Division Chief
Bill Williams
Dale Williams
Daren Wenger
Justin Linquist
Kevin Kamnikar
Larry Freitas
Mark Toomey
Mike Foster
Tom Campbell
Dave Craddock
Monterey City Fire
Stewart Roth, Division Chief
Art Webb
Bobby Flood
Cosimo Tilly
Pete Koeman
Russell Stopper
Mike Richardson
Lucero Valdez
Kelly Davidian
Larry Sands
HISTORY
Since its inception in 1998 as the Technical Rescue Team, the team reorganized in 2001 as the Monterey County Urban Search and Rescue Team. The US&R team continues to be a primary component to the County's Urban Search and Rescue response.
In January 2006, we put in service an air compressor trailer used for operating jack hammers and concrete drilling tools. This old surplus unit from the City of Monterey was completely refurbished by North County Fire District personnel: Captain Marvin Lenz and Firefighter Joel Mendoza.
Federal grants received in 2005 also enabled the team to add another apparatus and additional equipment to our inventory. The Salinas Rural Fire District recently put in service a Ford F-550 heavy utility vehicle with a large goose neck trailer. The unit is designed to carry equipment used for trench rescue and building shoring. It is assigned to the Toro Station.
TRAINING
US&R members particpated in six drills and completed over 480 hours of training during 2006. The training included two 12-hour scenario based drills.
The first drill was a well rescue scenario which involved a mannequin trapped 15' below grade in a 20" vertical well pipe. Initially, a rescuer was lowered into the pipe but was unable to access the mannequin. It was then decided to dig a trench next to the well. The trench was shored then member tunneled from the trench to the well. Once there, the steel well casing was cut and the rescue was made.
The second drill was a terrorist scenario involving a bomb that collapsed a multi-story structure at the NASA training site in San Jose. This drill involved setting up a formal command structure, working with search dog teams, constructing emergency building shoring, air monitoring, concrete breaching, and victim removal.
RESPONSES
The team was deployed to 14 incidents during 2006.
8 - High Angle Rescues
4 - Missing Person Search
1 - Wilderness Rescue
1 - Animal Rescue
GOALS
To certify all members to the Swift Water Rescue Awareness level and purchase equipment to enable the team to provide, at a minimum, the capability to make non-entry swift water rescues.
To enhance our capability from a California OES Type I company and crew to a State US&R Task Force. It will require the addition of a Search Dog and Hazardous Materials component to our team.
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Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team
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The USAR team after rope rescue training in the Pinnacles National Park.
Rick Parker, John Hasslinger, Karl Fisher and Jess Mendoza
conduct a briefing at training exercise.
Division Chiefs Joe Pastore and Felix Colello at WMD drill in Marina, CA.
Air compressor trailer used for heavy pneumatic tools.
Structure collapse training at NASA's USAR training facility at Moffett Field, CA.
Structure collapse training at NASA's USAR training facility at Moffett Field, CA.
Structure collapse training at NASA's USAR training facility at Moffett Field, CA.
Structure collapse training at NASA's USAR training facility at Moffett Field, CA.
Structure collapse training at NASA's USAR training facility at Moffett Field, CA.
Structure collapse training at NASA's USAR training facility at Moffett Field, CA.
Nine team members attended a 100 hour
Advanced Shoring Class at TEEX in College Station, Texas.
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