Regional Search and Rescue Units

Northwestern Regional Search and Rescue Unit

Central Regional Search and Rescue Unit

Southern Regional Search and Rescue Unit

North Caucasian Regional Search and Rescue Unit

Ural Regional Search and Rescue Unit

Volga Regional Search and Rescue Unit

Siberian Regional Search and Rescue Unit

Far Eastern Regional Search and Rescue Unit

Vytegra Arctic Rescue, Training and Research Center

Baikal Regional Search and Rescue Unit

Southern Mounted and Dog Search and Rescue Center

State Central Airmobile Rescue Unit

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.