Rapid response team on motorcycles in the center of Israel

Rapid response team on motorcycles in the center of Israel

אילוסטרציה

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Illustration

Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services will soon deploy a motorcycled search and rescue rapid response team which will operate in the center of Israel. The team will focus on search and rescue missions following car crashes and car fires.

Israel’s fire brigade training school has recently began a special training program comprising 10 firefighters who have been carefully chosen to constitute the Fire and Rescue Services’ rapid response team to handle traffic-related events. They will primarily rescue people from car accidents and burning vehicles.

The first stage will feature 3 BMW 650 GS motorcycles which were recently purchased complete with firefighting and search and rescue kits.

iHLS Israel Homeland Security

The unique feature of this new unit is that customarily, firefighting motorcycles are deployed separately from rescue motorcycles throughout the world, whereas in Israel, the unit will carry out both duties. These motorcycles have been fitted and customized ahead of their planned designation, primarily in terms of their safety means.

Firefighting Officer Ehud Ben Ezra, who is in charge of training, said the course will last four weeks and consist of both theoretic and practical motorcycle driving as well as lessons on operating the dedicated equipment.

The officers will train in the following:

Emergency protocols vis-à-vis various types of vehicles, such as an electric vehicles, buses and hazardous materials’ carriers

Search & rescue from cars and from commercial vehicles

Operating the dedicated equipment, the firefighting kit and motorcycle rescue devices

The current course is planned as a pilot program for assessment and evaluation. There are plans for future acquisition of additional motorcycles, per funding from Israel’s National Road Safety Authority.