Skip to main content
Best News Website or Mobile Service
WAN-IFRA Digital Media Awards Worldwide 2022
Best News Website or Mobile Service
Digital Media Awards Worldwide 2022
Hamburger Menu

Advertisement

Advertisement

Singapore

Beneath the rubble: On a rescue mission with DART

Crawling through a small tunnel and cutting through concrete slabs, Channel NewsAsia reporter Ahmad Khan joins SCDF’s elite team of rescuers in search of disaster “casualties”.

Beneath the rubble: On a rescue mission with DART

Going through piles of rubble to see if there are any casualties who need saving is one of the first things DART members do in the aftermath of an earthquake. (Photo: Ashraf Zainal & Matin Akmal)

SINGAPORE: It was the aftermath of a “disaster”.

I was standing over a pile of rubble, dressed in heavy-duty overalls and safety boots. I had my helmet, facemask and gloves on.

Along with three other men from Singapore Civil Defence Force's (SCDF) Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART), we were on a mission to search for survivors buried under the rubble.

Gearing up - DART members have to dress appropriately in heavy-duty overalls, safety boots, helmet, facemask and gloves. (Photo: Ashraf Zainal & Matin Akmal)

DART is an elite team specially trained to carry out such operations. It was set up almost three decades ago in 1993. However, the team has carried out 17 high-profile Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) missions abroad since 1990, such as in the wake of the Nepal earthquake in 2015.

I was embedded with the team for a day to get a taste of how these men train for such missions.

Assisting us was Dodge, a five-year-old dog that’s specially trained to locate people trapped in rubble.

When he sniffs out a casualty, he barks to alert rescuers, who then use wireless seismic sensors and a video camera probe to confirm the casualty's location.

Dodge is trained to smell casualties trapped in the rubble. (Photo: Ashraf Zainal & Matin Akmal)
He will bark when he finds someone who needs rescuing. (Photo: Ashraf Zainal & Matin Akmal)

With the location confirmed, we had to crawl through a small tunnel, then use a drill to break the thick concrete slab in front of us to reach the casualty.

It's back-breaking work. The hole had to be big enough for the casualty to be pulled through. 

While gasping for air, we took turns to do the drilling.

Going through tight spaces in the rubble is not for the claustrophobic - it's difficult to breathe. (Photo: Ashraf Zainal & Matin Akmal)
It's back-breaking work to break the concrete to reach the casualty. (Photo: Ashraf Zainal & Matin Akmal)

“One of the most important traits of being a DART member would be to be a team player,” DART Platoon Commander Kelvin Koh said.

“In all the operations that DART is called upon for, it's never about a one-man show. It's always about a team, and how to work together as a team to achieve the most difficult scenarios or rescue operations.”

LESS THAN 30 MINUTES, BUT IT FELT LIKE HOURS

Depending on the size and thickness of the concrete, SCDF said it can take up to half a day at times to break through thick slabs of concrete.

Eventually, after what felt like hours (though we were told it wasn’t more than 30 minutes), we broke through, placed the casualty (a dummy) on a stretcher, and pulled it out to safety.

Being a team player is one of the most important traits of being a DART member. (Photo: Ashraf Zainal & Matin Akmal)
The "casualty" is pulled to safety. (Photo: Ashraf Zainal & Matin Akmal)

That was just a snippet of how far the team goes to save a life.

The rubble is one of several training areas at the (HTTC).

Captain Koh said: “I can essentially train my guys here on a day-to-day basis. I can plan a realistic USAR scenario that … will allow my platoon guys to be trained and prepared when they are deployed for such overseas missions."

The Home Team Tactical Centre (HTTC) houses various challenging obstacles for DART members to hone their skills, specifically the "leaning tower" and piles or rubble. (Photo: Ashraf Zainal & Matin Akmal)

As I found out first-hand, these missions can be dangerous, complicated and a huge test of endurance.

My second mission involves what’s called a “leaning tower”, which is inclined at an angle of 18 degrees. While it may not seem like much, it makes simple tasks like climbing up and down the stairs that much more challenging.

Three members of DART and I were tasked to retrieve a casualty from the fourth storey of the leaning tower and to take it down to safety.

Simple tasks like climbing up and down the stairs are that much more challenging by the 18-degree incline of the "leaning tower". (Photo: Ashraf Zainal & Matin Akmal)

I could feel sweat dripping from my face as I tried to keep my balance while carrying the heavy load. 

By the time we reached the medical team on the ground, I could barely feel my right arm.

As I found out first-hand, these missions can be dangerous, complicated and a huge test of endurance. (Photo: Ashraf Zainal & Matin Akmal)
Source: CNA/mz(ra)

Advertisement

Also worth reading

Advertisement