Welcome return for Cheshire firefighters following Venezuela rescue efforts

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) were proud to welcome home two firefighters who supported international rescue efforts following two earthquakes in Venezuela. They were part of a 68-strong specialist team mobilised through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to provide urgent search and rescue support.

Watch Manager Andy Jones and Firefighter Stephen Grounds left the UK on 26 June alongside specially trained team members, including firefighters, medics, structural engineers and search dogs which form part of the UK International Search and Rescue (UK-ISAR) team. The deployment followed two strong earthquakes which impacted Venezuela on 24 June. The team returned back to the UK on Sunday 5 July after supporting rescue efforts in the La Guaria region near to the capital city, Caracas.

Both were able to reflect on their deployment, describing initial impressions and working to rescue people under demanding conditions, how the team carry out building searches alongside other rescue teams.

As soon as the team landed in Venezuela, they were straight to setting up to provide assistance.

Andy said: "As soon as we landed we were in the thick of rescue efforts, tasked by officials to assist at a high-rise block near to our airfield."The pair also talked about their lasting impressions from the extensive rescue mission, which not only included teams from the UK but from around the world who rushed into the country to help those in need.

Ste said:

"The Venezuelan people couldn't believe the distance the UK-ISAR team had travelled to rescue and help support them, so my lasting impression would be that I'd like to think while we we were there we helped to give them the strength that they are going to need moving forward to recover and rebuild."

Firefighters who join the UK-ISAR team undertake extensive specialist training to prepare for emergencies of this scale, with team members previously taking part in international training in Switzerland, Singapore and Sweden. Team members also carry out regular training alongside colleagues from fire and rescue services across the country. 

UKISAR operates under the National Fire Chiefs Council’s National Resilience programme and remains on permanent standby to respond to international disasters. The team will provide technical search and rescue skills, support local emergency services and help to save lives in communities hit hardest by disasters.