From Highland Towers tragedy to global rescue benchmark: Inside Malaysia’s SMART team

On December 11, 1993, a devastating collapse in Ulu Klang, Selangor claimed 48 lives when Block 1 of the Highland Towers Condominium fell. This tragedy prompted the creation of the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) on August 1, 1995. Three decades later, SMART has grown into a Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team, meeting the standards set by the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) under the United Nations (UN).

In 2016, SMART achieved Heavy USAR recognition from INSARAG's External Classification (IEC), a process that included 130 checklists. Recently, SMART successfully defended this status on September 22, 2023, by passing the INSARAG External Reclassification (IER) with high marks across five key components: management, search, rescue, logistics, and medical. The assessment process covered 173 elements.

Safrizan Suhaini, a SMART Logistics Section head and INSARAG assessor, explained that becoming an assessor is more than just having rescue team experience. Candidates must complete UN courses, go through the Classifier in Training process, and have hands-on field experience. Over his 14-year career with SMART, Safrizan has participated in eight classification processes in various international locations, learning from best practices of other teams which he brings back to enhance SMART's operations.

SMART's success in defending its status marks more than just its own achievement; it reflects the evolution of Malaysia's Search and Rescue (SAR) capabilities. By sharing its practices, SMART not only improves its own team but also contributes to the global rescue community.