14B NCAC 03 .0409 Personnel, Training, And Equipment Standarards for CONTRACT RESPONSE TEAMs and Specialty Rescue Teams

(a) Requirements for all system personnel:

(1) personnel shall be no less than 18 years of age;

(2) personnel shall be an employee of a Sponsoring Agency, Participating Agency, or an employee of the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management. By participating in this program, system personnel remain employees of their Sponsoring or Participating Agency and at no time become a State employee entitled to State benefits unless they are an employee of NCEM;

(3) personnel shall maintain no less than 24 hours of search and rescue training annually;

(4) while participating in any program activity personnel shall be considered emergency management workers, as defined in G.S. 166A-19.60. and

(5) personnel shall possess the qualifications of character and general fitness requisite for a public servant and be of good moral character and entitled to the high regard and confidence of the public as evidenced by:

(A) not having been convicted by a local, state, federal, or military court of a felony;

(B) not having been convicted by a local, state, federal, or military court of a Class B Misdemeanor as defined in 12 NCAC 09A .0103(24)(b) which is adopted and incorporated by reference with subsequent changes or amendments pursuant to G.S. 150B-21.6 in the previous five years or the completion of any corrections supervision imposed by the courts, whichever is later;

(C) not having been convicted of an offense by a local, state, federal, or military court that would prohibit the possession of a firearm or ammunition, under 18 U.S.C. 922, which is hereby incorporated by reference with subsequent amendments and editions pursuant to G.S. 150B-21.6 can be found at no cost https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2018-title18/pdf/USCODE-2018-title18-partI-chap44.pdf;

(D) being truthful in providing information to the appointing agency;

(E) not having pending or outstanding charges in a local, state, federal, or military court that, if convicted, would exclude eligibility under this Rule.

(6) make the following notifications:

(A) within seven days of the qualifying event, notify the Sponsoring Agency in writing of all criminal or traffic offenses for which the individual is charged or arrested;

(B) within seven days of the qualifying event, notify the Sponsoring Agency in writing of all criminal offenses for which the individual pleads no contest, pleads guilty, or of which the individual is convicted;

(C) within seven days of service, shall notify the Sponsoring Agency that he or she has been served by a judicial official;

(D) within seven days of the date the case was disposed of in court, the Sponsoring Agency, provided they have knowledge of system personnel's arrests or criminal charges and final dispositions, shall also notify NCEM of arrests or criminal charges and final disposition of the criminal charges against system personnel; and

(E) within seven days of the issuance of all Domestic Violence Protective Orders pursuant to G.S. 50B and Civil No Contact Orders pursuant to G.S. 50C, the sponsoring agency, provided they have knowledge of the order, shall also notify NCEM of these orders.

(b) Requirements for all system equipment:

(1) equipment shall be made available for inspections and ; inventory by NCEM personnel;

(2) system resources shall maintain any State-owned equipment per manufacturer's recommendations and immediately notify NCEM of any damage to State-owned and issued equipment; and

(3) upon separation, all system resources shall return all state property in no more than 30 days to NCEM.

(1) A Type I or Type II Urban Search and Rescue Team shall maintain a roster of 116 personnel who have successfully completed the North Carolina Urban Search and Rescue Structural Collapse Rescue Technician Course or the Federal Emergency Management Agency Structural Collapse Specialist Course.

(2) A Type III Urban Search and Rescue Team shall maintain a roster of 58 personnel who have successfully completed the NC USAR Structural Collapse Rescue Technician Course or the Federal Emergency Management Agency Structural Collapse Specialist Course.

(3) North Carolina Division of Emergency Management shall be responsible for providing qualified structures specialists, medical team managers, and canine search specialists for any urban search and rescue team as part of this program if required for a response.

(d) Urban Search and Rescue Team Equipment Requirements:

(1) Urban Search and Rescue Teams shall maintain a functionally equivalent cache of equipment based on the appropriate team type with the Emergency Management Accreditation Program Urban Search and Rescue Cache List which is adopted and incorporated by reference with subsequent changes or amendments pursuant to G.S. 150B-21.6 as outlined in the latest published standard by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program located at no cost at https://emap.org/index.php/root/assessor-resources/87-emap-cache-list.

(2) Equipment shall be maintained in a manner ready to be used and with a means to transport all required equipment.

(e) Swiftwater Rescue Team Personnel and Training Requirements:

(1) Any Type I Swiftwater Rescue Team shall maintain a minimum roster of 32 personnel who have successfully completed Swiftwater Rescue Technician level training that meets requirements of Chapters 5, 11, and 12 of National Fire Protection Associations (NFPA) 1006 which is adopted and incorporated by reference with subsequent changes or amendments pursuant to G.S. 150B-21.6 and can be found at https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/all-codes-and-standards/list-of-codes-and-standards/detail?code=1006 at a cost of ninety one dollars ($91.00). From the complete roster, the team shall maintain the following number of personnel trained in position specific advanced roles:

(A) eight personnel who have completed the North Carolina Swiftwater Flood Rescue Boat Operator Course;

(B) two personnel who have completed either the North Carolina Swiftwater / Flood Rescue Team Leader Course or North Carolina Urban Search and Rescue Task Force Leader Course; and

(C) two personnel who have completed either the North Carolina Swiftwater / Flood Rescue Team Communications Specialist Course or North Carolina Urban Search and Rescue Communications Specialist Course.

(2) Any Type II Swiftwater Rescue Team shall maintain a minimum roster of 24 personnel who have successfully completed Swiftwater Rescue Technician level training that meets training requirements of Chapters 5, 11, and 12 of NFPA 1006. From the complete roster, the team shall maintain the following number of personnel trained in position specific advanced roles:

(A) four personnel who have completed the North Carolina Swiftwater Flood Rescue Boat Operator Course;

(B) two personnel who have completed either the North Carolina Swiftwater Flood Rescue Team Leader Course or North Carolina Urban Search and Rescue Task Force Leader Course; and

(C) two personnel who have completed either the North Carolina Swiftwater Flood Rescue Team Communications Specialist Course or North Carolina Urban Search and Rescue Communications Specialist Course.

(3) Any Type III Swiftwater Rescue Team shall maintain a minimum roster of 16 personnel who have successfully completed Swiftwater Rescue Technician level training that meets training requirements from Chapters 5, 11, and 12 of NFPA 1006. From the complete roster, the team shall maintain the following number of personnel trained in position specific advanced roles:

(A) two personnel who have completed the North Carolina Swiftwater Flood Rescue Boat Operator Course;

(B) two personnel who have completed either the North Carolina Swiftwater Flood Rescue Team Leader Course or North Carolina Urban Search and Rescue Task Force Leader Course; and

(f) Swiftwater Rescue Team Equipment Requirements:

(1) Any Type I Swiftwater Rescue Team shall maintain an equipment cache of no less than:

(A) six 800 MHz portable radios programed with the NC VIPER Radio System template;

(B) sixteen portable radios capable for internal team communications;

(D) sixteen each of dry suits with a liner, personal floatation devices with not less than 22lbs of floatation, helmet with headlamp, rescue knife, pealess whistle, boat motor key, water rescue throw bag, and pair of water rescue boots;

(E) two each thermal imaging cameras and handheld spotlights;

(F) two State of North Carolina road atlases;

(G) six global positioning system receivers;

(H) two forcible entry kits to include a Halligan, axe, sledgehammer, and bolt cutters per kit;

(I) two chain saws;

(J) four inflatable ridged boats not less than four meters in length with not less than six total outboard motors;

(K) one rope rescue kit to include 20 locking carabiners, four full body harnesses, two knot passing pulleys, 12 tandem prusiks, eight pulleys, two 200 foot life safety rope in a bag, two 300 foot life safety rope in a bag, line thrower, and six sections of each 5 foot, 12 foot, 15 foot, 20 foot nylon tubular webbing;

(L) two decontamination kits to include one 2.5 gallon pressure sprayer, one five gallon bucket, one 40 gallon work box, one 110 volt submersible pump, two 25 foot sections of garden hose, garden hose wye adaptor, a 110 volt submersible pump, cleaning solution per dry suit manufacturer recommendations, and one 1.5 inch to .75 inch male garden hose adapter;

(M) six non-venting fuel cells with fuel lines;

(N) two self-bailing rafts;

(O) four boat field repair kits to include a patch and five clamshells per kit;

(P) twelve paddles;

(Q) shelter system for 16 personnel that can be assembled in under 30 minutes time and does not require power for assembly;

(R) sixteen each of a sleeping kit such as a cot, pad, or sleeping bag;

(S) two each of two kilowatt or larger generators with portable lights; and

(T) two electric air pumps, four manual inflation pumps, and eight compressed air cylinders with fill systems to inflate boats or rafts.

(2) Any Type II Swiftwater Rescue Team shall maintain an equipment cache of no less than:

(A) four 800 MHz portable radios programed with the NC VIPER Radio System template;

(B) ten portable radios capable for internal team communications;

(D) ten each of dry suits with a liner, personal floatation devices with not less than 22lbs of floatation, helmet with headlamp, rescue knife, pealess whistle, boat motor key, water rescue throw bag, and pair of water rescue boots;

(E) two each thermal imaging cameras and handheld spotlights;

(F) two State of North Carolina road atlases;

(G) four global positioning system receivers;

(H) one forcible entry kits to include a Halligan, axe, sledgehammer, and bolt cutters per kit;

(I) two chain saws;

(J) two inflatable ridged boats not less than 4 meters in length with not less than three total outboard motors;

(K) one rope rescue kit to include 20 locking carabiners, four full body harness, two knot passing pulleys, 12 tandem prusiks, eight pulleys, two 200 foot life safety rope in a bag, two 300 foot life safety rope in a bag, line thrower, and six sections of each 5 foot, 12 foot, 15 foot, 20 foot nylon tubular webbing;

(L) one decontamination kits to include one 2.5 gallon pressure sprayer, one five gallon bucket, one 40 gallon work box, one 110 volt submersible pump, two 25 foot sections of garden hose, garden hose wye adaptor, a 110 volt submersible pump, cleaning solution per dry suit manufacturer recommendations, and one 1.5 inch to .75 inch male garden hose adapter;

(M) four non-venting fuel cells with fuel lines;

(N) one self-bailing raft;

(O) two boat field repair kits to include a patch and five clamshells per kit;

(P) six paddles;

(Q) shelter system for ten personnel that can be assembled in under 30 minutes time and does not require power for assembly;

(R) ten each of a sleeping kit such as a cot, pad, or sleeping bag;

(S) two each of two kilowatt or larger generators with portable lights; and

(T) two electric air pumps, four manual inflation pumps, and eight compressed air cylinders with fill systems to inflate boats or rafts.

(3) Any Type III Swiftwater Rescue Team shall maintain an equipment cache of no less than:

(A) six 800 MHz portable radios programed with the NC VIPER Radio System template;

(B) six portable radios capable for internal team communications;

(D) six each of dry suits with a liner, personal floatation devices with not less than 22lbs of floatation, helmet with headlamp, rescue knife, pealess whistle, boat motor key, water rescue throw bag, and pair of water rescue boots;

(E) one State of North Carolina road atlas;

(F) two global positioning system receivers;

(G) one forcible entry to include a Halligan, axe, sledgehammer, and bolt cutters per kit;

(H) one chain saw;

(I) one inflatable ridged boats not less than 4 meters in length with not less than two total outboard motors;

(J) one rope rescue kit to include 20 locking carabiners, two full body harness, two knot passing pulleys, 12 tandem prusiks, four pulleys, 200 foot life safety rope in a bag, 300 foot life safety rope in a bag, line thrower, and three sections of each 5 foot, 12 foot, 15 foot, 20 foot nylon tubular webbing;

(K) one decontamination kits to include one 2.5 gallon pressure sprayer, one five gallon bucket, one 40 gallon work box, one 110 volt submersible pump, two 25 foot sections of garden hose, garden hose wye adaptor, a 110 volt submersible pump, cleaning solution per dry suit manufacturer recommendations, and one 1.5 inch to .75 inch male garden hose adapter;

(L) two non-venting fuel cells with fuel lines;

(M) one self-bailing raft;

(N) one boat field repair kits to include a patch and five clamshells per kit;

(O) three paddles;

(P) shelter system for 16 personnel that can be assembled in under 30 minutes time and does not require power for assembly;

(R) sixteen each of a sleeping kit such as a cot, pad, or sleeping bag;

(S) one each of two kilowatt or larger generators with portable lights; and

(T) one electric air pumps, one manual inflation pumps, and two compressed air cylinders with fill system to inflate boats or rafts.

(g) Helicopter search and rescue technicians shall:

(1) be a member of the Urban Search and Rescue, Swiftwater Rescue, Wilderness Search and Rescue, or Mountain Rescue Programs with a letter of support from their sponsoring agency;

(2) complete the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management Helicopter Rescue Indoctrination Course; and

(3) attend scheduled training on no less than a quarterly basis to maintain their qualification as a helicopter rescue technician.

(h) Helicopter Rescue Team Equipment Requirements

(1) Helicopter search and rescue technicians shall maintain all issued equipment in accordance with the manufacturer recommendations.

(2) Helicopter search and rescue technicians shall inspect their issued equipment prior to and after each use and report any damage per manufacturer recommendations to the Aviation Life Safety Equipment Officer.

(i) Wilderness Search and Rescue Team Requirements

(1) A wilderness search and rescue team shall maintain a roster of no less than eight personnel that have completed the NC Land Search Field Team Member Course or other wilderness search course that meets the current requirements of the American Society for Testing and Materials F2209 standard which is adopted and incorporated by reference with subsequent changes or amendments pursuant to G.S. 150B-21.6 and can be found at: https://www.astm.org/f2209-20.html at a cost of fifty seven dollars ($57.00).

(2) A wilderness search and rescue team shall maintain a team equipment cache of no less than eight of the following:

(A) field pack able to carry required equipment;

(B) multi-purpose knife;

(D) safety glasses;

(E) pealess whistle;

(F) grid reader for 1:24000 scale;

(G) compass;

(H) two light sources with spare batteries;

(I) set of rain gear to include a jacket with a hood and a pair of pants;

(J) tracking stick no less than 42 inches long;

(K) watch;

(L) equipment needed to start a fire such as waterproof matches or fire starting steel;

(M) measuring device capable of measuring no less than 18 inches;

(N) paper and pen or pencil;

(O) FEMA ICS 214 form which is adopted and incorporated by reference with subsequent changes or amendments pursuant to G.S. 150B-21.6 and can be found at: https://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/icsresource/assets/ics%20forms/ics%20form%20214,%20activity%20log%20(v3.1).pdf at no cost;

(P) fifty foot of cordage;

(Q) eight zip ties; and

(R) signaling mirror.

(3) A wilderness search and rescue team shall maintain a rescue equipment cache of no less than the following:

(A) two global positioning system receivers; and

(B) two first aid kits to include two tourniquets, eight four inch square gauze pads, two two inch gauze rolls, two rolls of paper tape one inch by ten yards, two rolls of moleskin patches two inch by five yards, two emergency survival blankets, two triangle bandages, one SAM splint 36 inches in length, five pairs of nitrile gloves, one CPR micromask, and one trauma shear scissors.

(j) Mountain Rescue Team Requirements

(1) A mountain rescue team shall maintain a roster of no less than eight personnel that have completed the NC Mountain Rescue Operations Course. Of those eight personnel, two personnel shall have also completed the NC Mountain Rescue Technician Course.

(2) A mountain rescue team shall maintain a team equipment cache of no less than eight of following:

(A) field pack able to carry required equipment;

(B) multi-purpose knife;

(D) grid reader for 1:24000 scale;

(E) equipment needed to start a fire such as waterproof matches or fire starting steel;

(F) compass;

(G) two light sources with spare batteries;

(H) set of rain gear to include a jacket with a hood and a pair of pants;

(I) watch;

(J) paper and pen or pencil; and

(K) FEMA ICS 214 form;

(3) A mountain rescue team shall maintain a rescue equipment cache of no less than the following:

(A) two global positioning system receivers;

(B) ten screw gate carabiners;

(D) eight pre-sewn runners;

(E) eight sets of matching prussik pairs;

(F) four 30 foot cords suitable for anchor and litter rigging;

(G) eight mountaineering harnesses;

(H) two rappel type friction devices;

(I) two each of single and double micro pulleys;

(J) two 150 foot ropes with a rating equal to or greater than 20 kilonewtons;

(K) two 250 foot ropes with a rating equal to or greater than 20 kilonewtons;

(L) eight pairs of snow shoes;

(M) eight pairs of trekking poles;

(N) four ice screws;

(O) eight pairs of slip-on boot traction devices;

(P) four pairs of crampons;

(Q) a patient litter such as a military type stokes basket or sked system; and

(R) two 800 MHz portable radios programed with the NC VIPER Radio System template.

History Note: Authority G.S. 166A-66; 166A-67; 166A-68;

Eff. April 1, 2023.