Finnish heavy Urban Search and Rescue Team, coordinated by Crisis Management Centre Finland, successfully passed its INSARAG reclassification at the end of January. The reclassification process aims at ensuring that the team meets at least the minimum international INSARAG standards that are applied to all search and rescue teams and modules working under the UN umbrella.

The 2018 reclassification process is a continuum for the initial classification of Finland’s Urban Search and Rescue Team that took place in 2012. According to the INSARAG guidelines, all teams and modules must be reclassified in every five years. The process ensures that the request level of operation remains.

Heavy Urban Search and Rescue team consists of 74 people and 5 dogs. Reclassification process was done during an emergency drill where an earthquake has happened in an imaginary country of Modulistan.