A minor sructural collapse may be encountered at a general land rescue incident. This may include a motor vehicle accident where an impact with a structure has occurred. This type of USAR operation is "business as usual" for agencies, and are covered under the State Emergency & Rescue Management Act.

Once an incident extends beyond the capability of the local resources, a Major Structural Collapse may be declared by the State Emergency Operations Controller (SEOCON) after advice is given by the Agency Commissioners. Once declared, under Section 1.2 of the Major Structural Collapse Plan, Fire & Rescue NSW is the designated combat agency (in accordance with the State Emergency Plan (EMPLAN).

International disasters requiring coordination present a different range of issues and challenges. The coordination of these incidents is through the "INSARAG Guidelines". These are further described later in this website.

Police remain in control of the overall incident scene while Fire & Rescue direct operations.

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