Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) involves the location, rescue (extrication), and initial medical stabilization of victims trapped in confined spaces. Structural collapse is most often the cause of victims being trapped, but victims may also be trapped in transportation accidents, mines and collapsed trenches. A FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force is teams of individuals comprised of firefighters, engineers, medical professionals, canine/handler teams and emergency managers with highly specialized training in urban search and rescue environments, and which serve as a resource for disaster response at local, state, federal, and international levels.
A listing of each of the eight FEMA US&R Task Forces, along with links to their respective website, can be found within this section.