How fire services helps co-ordinate Morocco quake rescue mission from Birmingham HQ

Around seven members of West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) have joined the International Search and Rescue (ISAR) team in the north African country to battle through arduous and hot conditions to help find people who are stranded and need first aid and medical help.

The operation in the central belt of the country is being done in conjunction with colleagues from around the world and coordinated by the Moroccan government and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office in the UK.

The team in Morocco are part of a larger effort by West Midlands Fire Service to help people affected by the earthquake and save as many lives as possible, with an incident room team also providing around-the-clock support to the ISAR team.

Based at West Midlands Fire Service headquarters in Birmingham, the 24/7 UK ISAR incident room provides a vital link between the UK team in Morocco, their families and their colleagues and fire stations back in the UK.

The room consists of six banks of desks with computer terminals and phones, as well as a set of screens of the earthquake area, the areas of operation and the line of communication between the teams in Morocco and the members of staff in Birmingham.

Chief fire officer Wayne Brown said the team, which operates 24 hours a day on a rotating schedule, spoke about the communications and what the team were seeing in the affected areas.

He said: "We are in daily contact with the team and we've tracked their progress in our incident room, so we know exactly what is going on.

"Initially, the first couple of days were based around setting up base camp, deciding what was needed and working with colleagues, but they've relayed back to us pictures and commentary of the devastation being faced by the people living in Morocco.

"They have carried out a number of rescues already, so we are making good progress, but also slow and, sometimes, very difficult progress because it's really important to note that the environment they are working in is very unstable."

Mr Brown said the deployment could last anything from seven days to a couple of weeks, depending on the conditions and said the work of the incident room team was to keep up regular checks and conversations and ensure their families were regularly updated on how they were.

He said he and the team were proud to have the incident room and the operation being coordinated by West Midlands Fire Service.

"We're the second largest service in England and we're proud to have the incident room for the United Kingdom International Search and Rescue as it's something we take pride in hosting," said Mr Brown.

"We've got really skilled and trained people and teams in there supporting their colleagues in Morocco and some of them have been deployed previously, so it helps the connection we've had with ISAR over a number of years.

"It's something we're proud to maintain and play a major part in the success of the teams deployed overseas, so I as chief fire officer, all of my staff and everybody involved are really proud to be part of what is a fantastic aid effort."

Among the members of staff working in the ISAR incident room were Bickenhill watch commander Shaun Crone and Hannah Spencer, who works in the incident room at WMFS headquarters.

Both volunteer for ISAR and said it was good to be there to help people in their hour of need and use the extensive training they had received.

Shaun said: "I do a little bit of everything, such as if we were out on the ground, we'd be going out with the actual teams and move the map in planning, while also feeding that information back into the virtual system.

"Roles may involve updating a log, speaking to family members and speaking to the team out there in the country, as well as checking the videos, emails and contacting the chief fire officers, so it's not just doing one job.

"We do a lot of training and it's what we have trained for, so it's important for us to go out and put those skills to the test and actually help people in their hours of need."

Hannah said: "The team is doing everything it can to try and find new victims, so we've got four dogs and 62 personnel in the country currently and they're being tasked by the authorities there to search different villages.

"As Shaun said, we've had extensive training to provide support and I think everyone wanted to help someone when they are in need and from all the deployments I've been involved in, the country has always been grateful for the support it has received.

"We are a small part of a bigger operation, but everyone plays their part and while everyone wants to go into the country to help, the incident room is a really important role to ensure that all works smoothly."