Malaysia’s SMART rescue team prepares for United Nations reclassification, aims to retain status

The Malaysian Special Search and Rescue Team (SMART) is preparing for a United Nations (UN) reclassification, aiming to retain its Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (Heavy USAR) status for the 69th National Day celebrations. The team, which was first awarded the classification in 2016, will undergo the International Rescue Coordination (INSARAG) External Reclassification (IER) assessment from September 20 to 24.

SMART Team Commander PgKB I Abdul Manaf Che Isa expressed confidence in the team's preparedness after conducting three large-scale pre-IER exercises, including one simulation last year and two this year. Retaining the Heavy USAR status is crucial for Malaysia as it serves as recognition of the team's expertise and enables the team to remain a key reference for countries in the Asian region in search and rescue operations and disaster management.

Brief written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.