Every fire chief has heard the expression, "Failure to plan is planning to fail." The statement is poignant in its simple truth, but how do we plan for the truly unexpected?

Oklahoma City demonstrated that terrorist activity can happen anywhere, and this past year's devastating tornadoes and Hurricane Floyd showed the cruel power of the forces of nature. With events like these to learn from, how does a chief prepare for a disaster that overwhelms department resources?

In the area surrounding Albany, N.Y., the answer is found in the Capital District Urban/Technical Search and Rescue Team, designated New York Regional Response Team 1. As the home to the state government, corporate facilities and other potential terrorist targets, the region had a need for specialists trained to respond to a variety of technical rescue incidents. In addition, weather extremes aren't uncommon, so training also had to focus on floods, wind, ice storms and snow loads.

nyrrt-1 was developed as a result of an Executive Order, signed by Gov. George E. Pataki in Sept. 1996, "directing the establishment of a pilot project for urban search and rescue in the Capital Region," with an eventual goal of six or seven teams statewide. Over the past several years, the team has grown into an elite group of career and volunteer firefighters and ems personnel who are continually training in technical rescue skills.

Team capabilities The cooperation and hard work of these individuals can serve as a lesson to the entire emergency services. Composed of roughly 100 members representing 32 agencies over a seven-county area, the team can be activated to assist in technical rescue situations that are especially difficult or beyond the capacity of local departments. The goal is to provide assistance in the urban/suburban setting throughout the state, excluding the New York City metro area.

As the team's capabilities were developed, we anticipated that most local departments would probably have some personnel trained to fema's basic operational response level, which includes confined-space awareness, ice and swiftwater rescue, and basic rope rescue.

We also foresaw, based on fema operational response levels, as many as six medium-level teams eventually existing upstate. These would provide basic search and rescue at structural collapses involving light frame construction, heavy timber construction, reinforced- and unreinforced-masonry construction, and concrete tilt-up construction. Medium-level teams also provide basic trench-collapse response and intermediate rope-rescue response.

nyrrt-1 presently operates at the fema medium response level. It was decided that the Capital District team would train to operate at fema's heavy level, which includes search and rescue at building collapses or failures of reinforced-concrete or steel-frame construction. At this level, the team's versatility also encompasses advanced rope, advanced confined-space and advanced trench-collapse rescue. The heavy operational level is still a goal for nyrrt-1.

At the fema/us&r operational level, a team must be trained and equipped to respond and operate at the heavy operational level, without outside support or resupply, for up to 72 hours.

So how does the chief of a local department fit into this picture? As chief, what's the goal of your department when it comes to providing for safe and effective response to that unforeseen disaster? To what level can you afford to train your personnel? What equipment purchases will you need to make to prepare for that once-in-100-years event?

Countywide and regional planning can answer a lot of these questions, but nyrrt-1 and other response teams like it can provide your department with a specific, effective and dependable technical response. Their availability should be considered as part of your disaster planning, keeping in mind that the local incident commander remains in charge during an activation. In simplest terms, the team provides trained personnel and equipment that may not otherwise be available to a department.

Training requirements Through the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control, team training took place based on the perceived requirements for each position. fdny rescue personnel taught many of the early courses and continue to provide invaluable instructor expertise and team support. Team members who are New York State-certified Fire Instructors are also now teaching some local classes.

Although not every position mandates the same training, experience has shown that team members have been highly motivated to take additional courses beyond those specifically required of them. For example, medical specialists have trained in void search and trench rescue to better understand the psychology and physiology of the rescuer and subject.

In addition to minimum requirements for application to the team and the requirements for certification at each operational level, members are now required to complete continuing education classes each year to remain on active team status. Future courses include management training, weapons of mass destruction, firefighter survival, cave rescue, train rescue and related ems topics.

In the same way that their enrollment in nysofpc training courses ensures standardized curriculum and skills, the team is currently seeking agency certification from the New York State Department of Health. The health department designates a recognized level of expertise and standards of care, from required basic medical supplies to paramedic performance skills. Each of these stamps of approval should prove significant to chiefs requesting assistance from nyrrt-1, because they'll know what to expect: a professional team of technical rescue specialists.

Of course, a well-trained team can increase its effectiveness when it's well equipped. The team has recently acquired a new home through a generous agreement with the Albany County Airport Authority.

The 10,000-square-foot facility has space for tools and equipment, as well as room for training. The tool cache is contained in a specially outfitted tractor-trailer, planned and organized to allow quick access to tools. This setup gives the team mobility almost anywhere. The team stores its field command unit and other vehicles at the airport, with hopes to acquire an ambulance-type vehicle for ems needs.

A range of response activations nyrrt-1 was first activated on Memorial Day weekend in 1998, when a tornado struck southern Saratoga County. The team responded to find widespread severe structural damage. Team members performed search operations and structural evaluations, marked unsafe structures, and otherwise assisted tornado survivors.

The team's second deployment was to assist in a July 1998 cave rescue in Schoharie County. A caver had been trapped for a long time, and concerns for his life and safety were becoming desperate. Although not specifically trained for cave rescue, the team was able to supply lighting, auxiliary power, rope rescue equipment and expert personnel.

Most importantly, one of the first things team members did on arrival was monitor the cave's air quality. At the start of the incident, oxygen levels were around 14.7%, with the trapped caver and several of his companions still underground. Team members immediately began positive-pressure ventilation with supplemental oxygen. The caver was eventually extricated with the help of a mechanical advantage rope system set up by team members and is alive and well today.

A local team response to a December 1998 trench collapse in Albany County brought shoring equipment and trained personnel who succeeded in extricating an individual trapped by tons of debris. As in the other activations, first responders recognized that the incident's demands required additional resources beyond those immediately available to the local fire department.

A Fredonia building collapse, in the western part of New York State, was notable for being six hours away by land. The incident truly tested our response system and our ability to respond outside our region. State police flew in members crucial for incident support, with the rest of the team following. Team members evaluated the collapsed structure, using a search-cam and listening devices inside the collapse area. The incident concluded when officials were notified that the person who was thought to be trapped had arrived at work.

Another response was to assist in a missing-person search in rural Albany County's cliffs and other extremely difficult terrain. The team was requested as an expert resource in rope techniques, including high-angle rescue and mechanical hauling systems. The ic also knew the team could be called on in physically demanding situations.

In this response, nyrrt-1 worked with the Albany County Sheriff's Department, the state's Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers, and local fire and rescue personnel. As part of this team, we assisted in locating and retrieving the body of the person who had been the subject of the search.

Most recently, nyrrt-1 was deployed to Rockland County, N.Y., to assist local emergency personnel in dealing with the effects of Hurrican Floyd. Rockland County was determined to be ground zero for Floyd's impact on New York State.

Technical rescue and you As you can see from these examples, terrorist attacks or major earthquakes aren't the only situations that require the participation of a technical rescue team trained beyond the basic level, which most departments should be able to handle locally. However, even if your department only has basic response capabilities, one way to prepare for a major incident is to include a higher level of technical response in your planning.

Preparing for an incident that will require technical rescue response should include knowing if and where such a resource is available in your area, as well as what it can do. Technical rescue personnel may be trained in rope rescue, trench rescue, shoring techniques, building collapse, confined space, cave rescue, ice rescue, and so on. For example, many nyrrt-1 members are cross-trained beyond the specifics of their assignments. These additional proficiencies offer diverse and flexible options for the team and the communities it supports.

In addition to providing trained people with technical rescue skills unavailable to a local department, regional rescue teams offer cost savings, too. It isn't necessary for a fire department to purchase expensive equipment it may never use, when that same equipment is available with trained operators. [Ed.: See "Keeping up with the Joneses," April 1997, available at .]

Finally, there's the benefit to the larger community. When a technical rescue team is called in as a resource, the public can be confident that their chief is doing his or her best to get the job done right. Technical rescue team members are trained to serve, and their skill is acknowledged by the public. In our case, nyrrt-1 members are ready to do the job they've trained for. We, and other teams like us, are prepared to get the job done.