Arctic Research Training and Rescue Center "Vytegra"
Location: Vologda Region, Vytegra District, the settlement of Andomskoye, Lake Onega.
The Vytegra Arctic Research Training and Rescue Center was established by Order No.334 of the Emergencies Ministry “On establishment of the Vytegra Arctic Rescue, Training and Research Center on the base of the branch of the Northwestern Regional Search and Rescue Unit” of 01 July 2014. The Northwestern Regional Search and Rescue Unit was established on 29 May 2009.
Main activities:
- Professional training and advanced training programs for the Emergencies Ministry’s employees;
- Provision of preparedness to respond on emergencies in Northwestern Federal District and in the Arctic;
- Medical rehabilitation of the Emergencies Ministry’s employees, redponders, people, who work in adverse conditions;
- Research in the field of new training methods, testing of rescue equipment and means of protection.
Staffing:
The Center is staffed by 190 people, including: senior management – 3 people, response units – 79 people, rehabilitation center – 36 people, logistics units – 18 people, Training and Research Center – 54 people.
The Center is equipped with necessary equipment to carry out its tasks (104 units in all):
- vehicles and all-terrain vehicles (73 units), including snowmobiles (9 units) and quad-bikes (6 units);
- small boats (12 units);
- all-season vehicles (airboat Piranya – 1 unit), Argo hovercraft – 1 unit;
- specialized vehicles for rescue operations (MAZ-6923 KS 6473 truck mounted crane – 1 unit, V-140 loader, URAL 45289 dump truck – 1 unit);
- transport vehicles (buses – 6 units, ambulance cars – 2 units);
- specialized equipment (Arnega-MD monitoring complex based on DJ Phantom 3 Advanced Drone – 1 unit; side scanning sonar – 3 units, decompression chamber – 1 unit, Falcon underwater robotics complex – 1 unit).
Since the establishment, the units of the Center were dispatched to 1,828 search and rescue operations, including 880 man-caused emergencies, 620 natural disasters and 320 in housing blocks. Aid was provided to 5,200 people. More than 1,000 preventive efforts were carried out.
The Search and Rescue Service is certified to carry out the following operations in accordance with the certificate for search and rescue operations issued on 24 December 2014:
- Search and rescue operations;
- Gas rescue operations;
- Rescue operations in fires.
Additional capabilities of the search and rescue service:
Deepwater diving operations. Specialized Falcon robotics complex is used to carry out underwater operations up to 300 meters deep.
- Oil and petroleum products spillage mitigation
- Firefighting
- Transportation of cargo from and onto Beriyev Be-200ChS planes;
- Search and Rescue Operations featuring search dog units (3 units);
- Delivery of rescuers via rappelling.
- Provision of safety in the Arctic by Search and Rescue Units on a rotational basis
All educational activities are carried out by the structural division – the Center for Education and Science in accordance with the License issued by the Education Department of Vologda on 23 December 2014.
Since 2009 the Center has trained 4,544 specialists in the following professions and specialties: Rescuer (3, 2, 1 Class), Gas Rescuer, Diver, Industrial Climber, Small Vessels Navigation (in inland waterways and sea routes), Oil and Petroleum Products Spillage Mitigation, Rescue Operations during Traffic Accidents, Training of rescuers to use individual breathing equipment, Rappelling Specialist, Search and Rescue Operations in the Arctic. Unconventional small vessels navigation, Sail and Motor vessel navigation, UAV handling courses are planned to be introduced.
The Center has a research and education department to carry out researches in its field, experimental training programs, introduce new and innovative educational methods and develop new educational guidelines and recommendations.
In 2016, the Center was included into the Emergencies Ministry’s Research and Development Plan with research in Development of the Emergencies Ministry’s Arctic Centers up to 2020, prototype of the deployable heating station during mitigation of emergencies in the Arctic. Additionally, according to the Federal Traffic Safety Program 2013-2020 it is planned to supply all specialized fire and rescue stations of the Emergencies Ministry with fire and rescue vehicles equipped with medical modules for response to traffic accidents.
Currently the Center’s rehabilitation department is being licensed and its programs are being approved.
At the moment, rehabilitation department of the Center is undergoing certification process, rehabilitation programs are being approved.
In accordance with the minutes of the meeting No.2-4-28-1 of 21 March 2016 of the Emergencies Ministry and the Government of Vologda Region, the airport of the town of Vytegra is being transferred to the federal ownership of the Emergencies Ministry.
Following social events are being held in the Center: Society for Safety Forum of the Emergencies Ministry and Non-Governmental Organizations, the Arctic – Territory of Safety All-Russian Science Conference of the Emergencies Ministry, Regional competitions in fire-fighting sport for search and rescue units for the Cup of the Honored Rescuer, the Hero of Russia Yuri Vorobyov, and other events.
The Russian Emergencies Ministry’s Search and Rescue Service is a subordinate institution of the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations.
The Search and Rescue Service of the Emergencies Ministry is comprised of 8 regional search and rescue units, 38 branches (10 for search and rescue on water bodies), the Baikal Search and Rescue Unit, the Tsentrospas Team, the Vytegra Arctic Training and Rescue Center, the Southern Mounted and Dog Search and Rescue Center (with branches in Gelendzhik, Arkhyz and Simferopol).
The Emergencies Ministry’s Search and Rescue Service is comprised of managing bodies, search and rescue units and logistics divisions. The service that has a Regional Search and Rescue Unit at its disposal serves as the basic unit for this region. The Emergencies Ministry’s Search and Rescue Service follows laws and legal acts of the Russian Federation, constituents of Russia, legal acts of the Emergencies Ministry, Regional Centers of the Emergencies Ministry and the Search and Rescue Service Article.
The Emergencies Ministry’s Search and Rescue Service carries out its activities under direct control of the Emergencies Ministry’s Regional Centers, as well as in cooperation with executive authorities of constituent entities of Russia and local governments authorized to resolve tasks in the field of protection of the population and territories against emergencies and is included into functional subsystem of the Single State Disaster Management System (hereinafter SSDMS).
The Emergencies Ministry’s Search and Rescue Service is a legal entity that has a settlement account in a bank, independent balance, a stamp with the name of the organization and can close transactions, allowed by the laws and that correspond to the activities of the Emergencies Ministry’s Search and Rescue Service.
Main tasks of the Emergencies Ministry’s Search and Rescue Service are the following:
- Keeping managing bodies, personnel and equipment of search and rescue units in constant preparedness to resolve set tasks;
- To control preparedness of protected facilities and territories for mitigation of emergencies;
- Organizing and carrying out of search and rescue operations during natural disasters and man-caused emergencies.
In order to complete set tasks, the Emergencies Ministry’s Search and Rescue Service are able to:
- Create necessary material and technical base;
- Draft operative documents on organizing and carrying out of search and rescue operation in accordance with the tasks;
- Organize training, retraining and vocational education for employees of the Emergencies Ministry’s Search and Rescue Service;
- Organize training for rescuers and search and rescue units for certification that allows carrying out search and rescue operations;
- Be involved into rehabilitation, legal and social protection of the Emergencies Ministry’s Search and Rescue Service employees and their families;
- Share experience with other, including foreign, rescue services and units;
- Take part in development of plans on prevention and mitigation of emergencies in Russia with executive authorities;
- Take part in training of rescuers of public rescue units (public-rescuers);
- Instruct the population on how to behave in the event of emergency.
Full list of tasks and functions set to a particular Search and Rescue Unit is drafted by Regional Centers and Civil Defense and Emergency Situations Managing Bodies by agreement with the Emergencies Ministry, in accordance with the powers and stated in the Articles of a particular Unit.
