United States Homeland Emergency Response Organization
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US-HERO is a nation-wide volunteer organization providing qualified Search and Rescue and Disaster Relief services to local, state and federal agencies. The headquarters of the organization is in Austin, Texas, with units around the United States.
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[edit] Motto
“Americans Volunteering, So That Others May Live”
[edit] About
US-HERO is a national organization made up of local units, which primarily respond to municipal and county level emergencies involving lost and missing persons or local disasters and other emergencies (including major disasters). The organization is not a governmental agency, it is a registered 501(C)3 (tax exempt), non-profit, volunteer corporation. US-HERO only responds to requests from jurisdictional authorities such as, sheriff departments, police, emergency management, state agencies, FEMA, etc. Some US-HERO units are designated 9-11 Emergency First Response for counties and municipalities, much like a volunteer fire department.
US-HERO adheres the the highest training and operational standards. All members are required to be qualified in specialty skills in accordance with the standards published by The National Fire Protection Association, (NFPA). US-HERO accepts certifications from NASAR (National Association for Search and Rescue) in Wilderness SAR and K-9 SAR specialties. Disaster specific training is conducted according to FEMA/DHS standards. All US-HERO units are also CERT, Community Emergency Response Team designated, for dealing with disasters, but have much more training and capabilities than an average CERT team.
All US-HERO units have three main missions. These are:
- Search & Rescue of lost or missing persons
- Disaster Response/Relief
- Community Services, such as hazard mitigation, disaster preparedness training, etc.
US-HERO units train other organizations, both volunteer groups and professional organizations. As US-HERO is integrated into emergency response via the National Incident Management System, (NIMS), the ability to work with other agencies is unsurpassed in the volunteer emergency response field.
US-HERO started out as SAR-Team 8, which is now the name of the Austin, Texas unit of US-HERO. US-HERO is not a military auxiliary. Those wanting a more paramilitary type of organization are directed to the Civil Air Patrol or Coast Guard Auxiliary. US-HERO's organizational culture is more akin to a volunteer fire department.
[edit] Methods & Organization
US-HERO is built around three central concepts. The first is that volunteer organizations work best when they are bottom to top in organizational structure. The second is that volunteer emergency responders should be qualified by professional standards. The third concept is "Service Before Self". US-HERO is not a publicity seeking organization. Members do their job, save lives, help people, assist local authorities and don't blow their own horn. A local unit must agree to three things to be a part of US-HERO and have the benefits, including insurance. These are:
- Agree to the US-HERO uniform standards
- Abide by the training and operational standards
- Operate within US-HERO's constitution and bylaws
US-HERO is a volunteer organization and there is no chain of command in routine business operations. US-HERO headquarters does not command units. Each unit is locally autonomous, in keeping with a bottom-up organization. In a national or state level disaster, US-HERO may take operational control, as per Incident Command protocols, but this is only emergency incident specific. There are elected leaders at the unit level and four positions on the Board of Directors and an appointed leadership chain at the National Headquarters. Members appointed to the Headquarters Staff by the Board of Directors, report to the National Chief's office. All elected positions of leadership are made on an annual basis.
Leadership
- Chief - Bruce D. White
- Assistant Chief - Alan Huddleston
[edit] Units
US-HERO units, generally known as "SAR Teams" are local, volunteer groups. Typically there is one team per county, but exceptions are made for either highly populated areas or extremely low populated areas. A unit chooses various specializations that the team will be focused on, but all teams are required to be Wilderness SAR capable as a base line. Specializations include capabilities such as underwater, aviation, canine, equestrian, high-angle rope, cave and other rescue specializations.
Areas without a unit can request a US-HERO unit be established. A minimum of five persons are required to start a unit or team and they are usually sponsored by a local sheriff's department, county emergency management, church, community club or other like agency.
US-HERO is a membership based organization. There are two general areas that members can choose to work in, these are:
- Emergency Rescue Technicians - (these are members that actually do direct rescue and emergency response)
- Support Staff - (these are members that deal with administration, planning and other indirect rescue/response roles)
US-HERO has a place for just about anyone. A person with a disability or that is older can help out in support roles. US-HERO is an inclusive organization.
[edit] Youth Program
US-HERO units may choose to operate a youth or cadet program. These are Fire - Rescue Explorer Posts that are chartered with the Learning for Life program of the Boy Scouts of America. An Explorer Post is co-ed and serves youth from 14 years of age - 21 years of age. US-HERO units must accept both males and females in a youth program, if it sponsors a crew.
[edit] Services
US-HERO's services include, but are not limited to:
- Wilderness search and rescue
- Urban search and rescue
- Aviation SAR/Damage Assessment (aircraft)
- Light collapsed structure search and rescue
- Dive rescue/recovery
- Water rescue
- Cadaver search
- Evidence search
- Disaster Assessment
- Educational displays at special events
- Educational classes (FEMA Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), First Aid, CPR, *FEMA emergency response to disasters, survival in the wilderness, search and rescue and more!)
- Community Emergency Response Teams, which may be placed on standby or activated for storms, floods, disasters, etc. in a jurisdiction, utilizing its personnel that are trained FEMA Community Emergency Response Teams and weather spotters by the National Weather Service
[edit] US-HERO Rangers
US-HERO Rangers are highly qualified and experienced members who have a special commission to represent US-HERO in an individual capacity, including emergencies. Rangers cover a general geographical area and can respond with or request assistance from any US-HERO unit. Rangers can also individually support requests by jurisdictional authorities and assist with emergencies.
[edit] Memorable Actions
US-HERO units and members have responded to situations such as:
- Thousands of man hours staffing Evacuee Shelter in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005
- Teams deployed into East Texas & Louisiana to conduct Search and rescue operations after the above mentioned hurricanes
- Responded to the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in recovery operations
- Responded to a National Disaster Flood in Comal County, Texas
- Numerous small scale disasters, rescues, etc.
[edit] Factoids
- Chartered as a Non-Profit Corporation in Texas
- Tax ID Number 84-1644603
- Designated a 501(C)3 Charitable Organization by the IRS (documents on main website)
