SMART Takes On 36-hour Test, 173 Elements To Retain Insarag Heavy Usar Status

PUCHONG, Sept 22 (Bernama) -- For 36 hours non-stop, the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) is being put to the test in a disaster simulation which will determine its eligibility to retain its Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) status under the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG).

Beginning at 7 am today, 85 SMART personnel are required to pass 173 assessment elements to retain the recognition, thereby ensuring that the country’s elite team remains eligible for deployment in international search and rescue (SAR) missions.

National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) deputy director-general (Operations) Datuk Dr Abdul Gapar Abu Bakar said each assessment element, covering safety, logistics, technical proficiency and documentation, must be carried out according to the prescribed standards.

He said the 36-hour assessment was designed to test not only SMART’s technical capabilities, but also the team’s overall preparedness when operating in an actual disaster situation overseas.

“The most important thing is that they cannot skip or take lightly any of the steps or items being assessed. We want everything to be green. Yellow still provides room for improvement, but if even one of the 173 elements is rated red, our team will not be certified,” he told reporters when met during the assessment at the SMART headquarters, here, today.

Abdul Gapar said the recertification was important, as it served as recognition that SMART met international standards for deployment in SAR operations overseas.

“Failure to obtain recertification could result in our team being unable to be deployed on international missions. That is why each of the 173 elements must be fulfilled,” he said.

Abdul Gapar said NADMA was confident in SMART’s capabilities and discipline, and was optimistic that the country’s elite team would be able to retain the prestigious certification.

He added that this year’s simulation placed the personnel in a scenario involving a magnitude 7.5 earthquake, which struck a fictional area known as ‘Putra Land’, resulting in multiple complex building collapses.

He said the assessment was conducted by 16 international classifiers, led by an assessor from China, with a deputy from Russia and other classifiers from several countries, including Norway and Australia.

SMART obtained its Heavy USAR classification in 2016, the highest category, which enables the team to carry out complex rescue operations, with a minimum capacity of 63 personnel.

Heavy USAR does not merely refer to a larger team size, but also reflects the level of technical capability and complexity of operations which can be carried out, particularly involving thick concrete structures and collapsed buildings.

Abdul Gapar said preparations for the recertification had begun in January 2025, with the government allocating RM14 million, including for equipment, K9 detection dog units and vehicles.

He said the SMART team had also participated in between 10 and 15 missions or exercises, locally and overseas, as part of its preparations, in addition to undergoing three rounds of pre-assessment, which also received praise from mentors from Australia.

The assessment process began with the receipt of an incident report, followed by a coordination meeting, registration and health checks, and the preparation of equipment and supplies to be brought to the disaster site.

The process is expected to conclude at about 9 pm tomorrow.

SMART was established on Aug 1, 1995, following the Highland Towers collapse tragedy in December 1993.

-- BERNAMA