Home 
Contact Chairman Summary (English)
Chairman Summary (Spanish)
Year: 2016
The meeting of the INSARAG Regional Group Americas was held in Kobe, Japan on 14 September 2010. The meeting was organised by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, as well as OCHA in its capacity as the INSARAG Secretariat. The meeting was attended by 34 participants from 15 countries and organisations.
2010 INSARAG Americas Meeting Chairman Summary (Arabic)
2010 INSARAG Americas Meeting Chairman Summary (English)
2010 INSARAG Americas Meeting Chairman Summary (French)
2010 INSARAG Americas Meeting Agenda (English)
The meeting of the INSARAG Regional Group Americas was held in Guadalajara, Mexico on 28-29 October 2009.
The meeting was attended by 135 participants from 33 countries and organisations.
2009 INSARAG Americas Meeting Chairman Summary (English)
The Regional Group Meeting 2004 was held in Lima, Peru. The meeting was attended by 97 participants from 21 countries and organisations.
2004 INSARAG Americas Meeting Chairman Summary (French)
2004 INSARAG Americas Meeting Chairman Summary (Arabic)
The annual meeting of INSARAG Americas Regional Group was held in Fairfax County, USA from 2nd to 5th May 2002. The meeting was attended by 63 participants from 16 countries and 5 organizations.
2002 INSARAG Americas Meeting Report (English)
2002 INSARAG Americas Meeting Report (Spanish)
The INSARAG is organised into the three regional groups: Africa/Europe/Middle East Region, Americas Region and Asia/Pacific Region. These Regional Groups meet annually to take measures to strengthen regional USAR response and ensure the strategic direction and policies from the INSARAG Steering Group are implemented and to assimilate relevant information from participating countries for submission to the INSARAG Steering Group.
Regional Groups encourage the participation of all countries in their region and aim to provide a forum to discuss USAR related issues, regional cooperation and capacity building. One of the primary outcomes of these meetings is an annual regional work plan that addresses capacity building, training and other issues relevant to integrated approaches to disaster response. Each Regional Group has at least one Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson, elected annually and sits on the INSARAG Steering Group.
For more details on regional events, such as exercises and meetings, visit the links to each region’s dedicated page.
INSARAG Global / Regional Chairs
| Function | Country | Name | Position | |
| Global Chair | Switzerland | Incoming Global Chair: | Ambassador Dominik Stillhart | Deputy Director General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Head of Humanitarian Aid Department and Head of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA) |
| AEME Regional Chair | Romania | Current Chair: | Brigadier General Dogeanu Marius | Head of Directorate General for Civil Protection Ministry of Internal Affairs, Romania |
| Czech Republic | Incoming Chair: | Lieutenant General Vladimir Vlcek | Chief Fire Officer and representatives of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic (FRS CR), Czech Republic | |
| Qatar | Outgoing Chair: | Colonel Staff Mubarak Sherida Al Kaabi | Commander and Head of Qatar International Search and Rescue Group (QSART), Qatar | |
| Americas Regional Chair | Ecuador | Current Chair: | Mr. Jorge Carrillo | Risk Management Secretary, Ecuador |
| Brazil | Incoming Chair: | Mr. Jose Solla | Coordinator General for Humanitarian Cooperation Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC), Brazil | |
| Mr. Wolnei Wolff | National Secretariat for Protection and Civil Defence, Brazil | |||
| Argentina | Outgoing Chair: | Ambassador Eduardo Porretti | President of the White Helmets Commission, Argentina | |
| Asia-Pacific Regional Chair | Pakistan | Current Chair: | Mr. Muhammad Idrees | Policy Focal Point for the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), Pakistan |
| Japan | Incoming Chair: | Mr. Kazuki Matsubara | Director of Humanitarian Assistance and Emergency Relief Division International Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan | |
| New Zealand | Outgoing Chair: | Mr. Paul Turner | National Manager Response Capability Fire and Emergency, New Zealand |
The INSARAG Technical Guidance Notes provide non-binding guidance to USAR teams beyond what is specified as minimum requirements by the INSARAG Guidelines. These Technical Guidance Notes are prepared by the INSARAG working groups and then endorsed by the INSARAG Steering Group. Please note that these Technical Guidance Notes are not parts of the INSARAG Guidelines, they are only good practices and recommendations. They are not the expectations from INSARAG member USAR teams or those USAR teams that undergo the INSARAG External Classification (IEC) process.
The following Technical Guidance Notes have been endorsed so far:
Medical Guidance Notes:
1. Amputations and Dismemberment (endorsed in 2011)2. Identification of USAR Medical Personnel (endorsed in 2011)
3. Post Mission Medical Reporting (endorsed in 2011)
4. Provision of Medical Care in an Austere Environment Specifically in a Confined Space (endorsed in 2011)
5. Recovery of Deceased During USAR Operations (endorsed in 2011)
6. The Donation of Medical Supplies and Equipment Prior to Demobilisation (endorsed in 2011)
7. The Medical Management of the Entrapped Patient with Crush Syndrome (endorsed in 2019)
8. Patient Treatment Record (endorsed in 2012)
9. Urban Search and Rescue in Extreme Environmental Conditions (endorsed in 2014) 10. INSARAG Injury and Illness Log (endorsed in 2019) 11. Template Letter requesting Ability to Practice USAR Medicine (endorsed in 2019) 12. INSARAG Patien Treatment Form (endorsed in Octobor 2019)
Recommended USAR Operations Guidance Notes by the Training Working Group:
1. Generic Risk Assessments – Rescues From Confined Spaces and Collapsed Structures (Source: UK) (uploaded June 2013)2. Manual for cold conditions (Source CMCFinland) (Upload October 2013).
3. USAR dogs and cold conditions (Source CMCFinland) (Upload October 2013). 4. Medical Guidance Note – Defining Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Medicine
Guidelines 2020
The INSARAG Guidelines provides a methodology to guide countries affected by a sudden-onset disaster causing large-scale structural collapse, as well as international USAR Teams responding in the affected country. The Guidelines also outlines the role of the UN in assisting affected countries in on-site coordination.
Reviewed and updated between 2018 to 2020, the INSARAG Guidelines 2020 incorporates six new areas from the 2015 version that were endorsed by the ISG; (i) IER Pre-Greening Process, (ii) INSARAG Recognised National Accreditation Process (IRNAP), (iii) USAR Coordination Cell (UCC), (iv) Information Management, (v) Classified Light Teams and (vi) Beyond the Rubble.
| S/N | Item | Download Link |
| 1 | Volume I – Policy | Link |
| 2 | Volume II, Manual A – Capacity Building | Link |
| 3 | Volume II, Manual B – Operations | Link |
| 4 | Volume II, Manual C – INSARAG External Classification & Reclassification | Link |
| 5 | Volume III – Operational Field Guide | Link |
Note: INSARAG endorsed manuals, selected annexes and checklists have been reorganized and can now be found in the Guidance Notes section.
Other reference notes can be found in the Technical Reference Library.
You can also find the complete Guidelines 2020 with their annexes at the following link: Link
The INSARAG Secretariat welcomes the Members States and donors to translate the Guidelines into other languages for greater outreach.
Please find below the Guidelines in other languages:
Japanese Version (Link)
Guidelines 2020 Chinese Version
Hungarian Version (Link)
Spanish Version (Link)
French Version (Link)
Farsi Version (Link)