NSRT achieves record response time in drill

MUSCAT, JUNE 29
The National Search and Rescue Team (NSRT) of the Civil Defence and Ambulances Authority (CDAA) has recorded outstanding results in a simulated training exercise designed to assess readiness for both local and international missions.
The exercise, conducted as part of ongoing preparedness initiatives, tested the team’s response speed and operational efficiency in handling various emergency scenarios.
Upon receiving the alert, NSRT members immediately initiated mission protocols in accordance with approved international standards. Teams swiftly progressed through equipment mobilisation, vehicle preparation, medical clearances and verification of all required documentation.
Once preparations were completed, the teams proceeded to the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) base for air deployment, demonstrating a high level of coordination, professionalism and operational readiness.
According to a source at the CDAA, the NSRT completed all response and readiness procedures in under five hours, significantly outperforming the international benchmark of 12 hours.
The CDAA noted that the NSRT operates under rigorous, globally benchmarked training programmes that include international disaster simulations, structural rescue drills, and specialised technical operations.
The team has earned the prestigious INSARAG 'Heavy Urban Search and Rescue' classification, a global recognition awarded after stringent multi-day evaluation exercises.
It has also participated in joint international drills, including exercises with the Qatar International Search and Rescue Group, aimed at enhancing coordination during large-scale emergencies.
In addition, the NSRT has contributed to humanitarian missions in disaster-hit regions, including deployments during the Türkiye and Morocco earthquakes and Storm Daniel in Libya.
The authority further highlighted that it conducts large-scale evacuation and rescue drills across major public and commercial locations, including simulations at Qurum City Centre.
Specialised training also covers subterranean debris rescue, mountain and desert search operations, and flood response scenarios, using advanced life-detection technologies such as 3D imaging systems and acoustic sensors to locate survivors trapped under rubble.