Three-day Urban Search and Rescue training is currently underway at the Defence Force Training Facility at Crabbes, bringing together roughly 40 local first responders as Antigua and Barbuda steps up preparations for major regional and international events later this year.

The exercise forms part of readiness efforts ahead of the annual Caribbean-focused security and disaster response exercise Tradewinds, as well as the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), both scheduled to be hosted in Antigua in the coming months.

The Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) programme is being conducted under the auspices of United States Southern Command, which provides contingency planning, operational support and security cooperation across the Caribbean, Central America and South America.

USAR training focuses on the identification, access and safe removal of victims trapped in urban environments, particularly in situations involving structural collapse following disasters.

Participants in the programme are drawn from several local agencies, including the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force, the Fire Department, Police Force, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and the National Office of Disaster Services.

Disaster Response Specialist Chris Schaff of the U.S. Department of State said the training team represents a collaborative international effort, comprising experts from the U.S. Department of State, Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue from Canada, and Haiti Air Ambulance.

According to Schaff, the objective is to ensure local responders are fully prepared for a full-scale disaster response simulation during Tradewinds in June, and for operational readiness during CHOGM in November.

Over the past two days, participants have been honing critical skills including lifting and moving heavy debris, vehicle extrication techniques for safely removing trapped or injured persons, post-rescue patient care, transferring patients for aeromedical evacuation, and rope rescue operations.

The intensive training programme concludes on Thursday at the Crabbes facility.