Swallow’s Nest

A swallow’s nest is a partially collapsed room on a floor that can’t be reached by a staircase. Because of damage to supporting walls or ceilings, these rooms are often quite unstable.

Search: Because of the danger of collapse, you have to assess whether entering by way of ladders on the outside wall is safe. Survivors can be found in the swallow’s nest. It is impossible for search and rescue dogs to reach this room on their own. Sometimes it is possible to bring a dog to a swallow’s nest in an airlift harness. Carefully consider whether the entrance is safe.

Rescue: The salvage of victims from a swallow’s nest is very difficult and will mostly be done by specialists. When a crane or a tower wagon is available, it can make the work a lot easier.

Figure 11.7 Swallow’s nest.

Figure 11.8 Salvage from a swallow’s nest is difficult and requires specialists with a crane or who can break through the wall. It may be possible to bring a dog to a swallow’s nest up a ladder on an outside wall with an airlift harness.

Figure 11.9 Swallow’s nest. (Vienna, Austria, 2006)

Half Room

A half room happens under slide surfaces and pile-ups when some or all of the walls and floor of the original room are still intact, leaving pockets of space. The half room can also occur when walls, doors, or other debris are propped against one another.

Search: Many victims may be buried in half rooms. There is also a good chance to find survivors in half rooms. Search and rescue dogs should thoroughly search the outside edges of half rooms. In particular, all broken edges, cracks, and other openings from which a scent cone could issue have to be searched carefully. Because of how various debris may lie, remember that the odor will not always come up via the top of the half rooms, although this is mostly the case.

Rescue: Half rooms can also be used to penetrate farther into the rubble. Rescuers can try to penetrate via the sides or from the back through window or door openings. If that isn’t possible, then entrance can be gained by breaking through the slide surface. The slide surface should not be weakened because of the breakthrough, as this can cause a full collapse. Breaking through the wall that supports the slide surface has to be avoided because of the danger of collapse. If this is the only way to get into the half room, then the wall has to be propped against sideways pressure. Care should be taken when using machinery that causes vibrations.

Figure 11.10 Half room.

Figure 11.11 Dogs should carefully search broken edges, cracks and openings. Rescuers can try to penetrate the half room from the sides or back through window or door openings. An entry may also be created by breaking through the slide surface.

Figure 11.12 Half room. (Leninakan, Armenia, 1988)

Spilled Room

The spilled room occurs when floors collapse into rooms below while the walls are still standing (usually in basements). The room is filled up with rubble, and hollow spaces of various sizes are left in between.

Search: Search and rescue dogs are the only hope of locating victims in spilled rooms with any great certainty. Survivors could be found in the hollow spaces, although victims can die from the pressure of the rubble. Walk as little as possible on the rubble yourself and let the dog do its work. Shifting the rubble or raising dust can cause the death of buried people.

Rescue: Breaking through the wall from the rooms next to the spilled room is often the best opportunity to get under the rubble in the spilled room. When the victim is lying in a favorable place, salvage by a wall breakthrough is possible. Otherwise the rubble has to be cleared from above. This clearing has to be done very carefully to avoid moving rubble and disturbing dust.

Figure 11.13 Spilled room.

Figure 11.14 Walk as little as possible on the rubble yourself; dogs can locate victims here with great certainty. To salvage, carefully clear rubble from above or by breaking through a wall.

Figure 11.15 Spilled room. (Izmit, Turkey, 1999)

Mud-Filled Room

The mud-filled room occurs when a mix of water, soil, and rubble penetrates a room with intact walls and floor. The cause of this can be damaged waterworks, the water sprayed by the fire department, but also a landslide, the collapse of a dam, overflowing rivers, and so on. Often the mud becomes an almost solid mass.

Search: You shouldn’t count on rescuing anyone alive from a mud-filled room because they will probably have suffocated or drowned. Search and rescue dogs specially trained for search work in water or landslides are able to locate victims in mud-filled rooms.

Figure 11.16 Mud-filled room.

Figure 11.17 Mud often becomes an almost solid mass, which makes search and rescue very difficult. Don’t count on rescuing survivors from a mud-filled room.

Figure 11.18 A mud-filled basement. (Vienna, Austria, 2006)

Deadly Mud

On a 1985 mission after a major dam break in northern Italy, search and rescue dogs found few survivors in the collapsed houses because of mud-filled rooms. The whole area was full of mud, water, and silt. We often find the same sort of situation in the cellars of buildings we have to search after a fire.