Capacity Building of International Search and Rescue Teams Through the Classification System: Example from the Japan Disaster Relief Team and the INSARAG External Classification and Reclassification

Abstract

This paper examines how the internationally-deployed search and rescue team of Japan (Japan Disaster Relief Team: JDR) strengthened its capacity through the IEC (INSARAG External Classification) in 2010 and IER (INSARAG External Reclassification) in 2015, the classification system conducted by INSARAG (International Search and Rescue Advisory Group). This paper concludes that the IEC/R contributed to the strengthening of the team's capability such as change of team's composition and introduction of the new techniques, through learning from other countries, which Japan did not possess. Furthermore, the effect of the IEC/R was not limited to the JDR team, as it also contributed to the improvement of the domestic USAR activities in Japan.