The UKRO supports emergency services and responders in the UK by providing an arena where teams are given the opportunity to develop new skills and maintain current competences through the rescue challenge concept (RCC) of education, simulation, assessment and debriefing. The RCC is undertaken by some of the most experienced and professional UK and World technical rescue assessors.

The UKRO was formed in 2002 to address the growing diversity of rescues that emergency services in the UK were requested to undertake and which now form a statutory duty. It was felt that there was a need for education, development and investment in UK emergency personnel, rescue standards and equipment in order to reduce the injuries and fatalities associated with technical rescue.  To help meet this need, the UKRO supports emergency services and responders in the UK by providing an arena where teams are given the opportunity to develop new skills and maintain current competences through the rescue challenge concept (RCC) of education, simulation, assessment and debriefing. The RCC is undertaken by some of the most experienced and professional UK and World technical rescue assessors.

Every year the UKRO holds a number of Regional Rescue Challenges that culminates in the ‘UKRO National Challenge’ where teams from services across the UK challenge themselves in a variety of rescue disciplines such as Road Traffic Collision (RTC) Extrication, Trauma Care, Urban Search And Rescue (USAR), Rope, Water,  and for the first time in 2016, Animal Rescue.

The aim behind the annual challenge is to push competing teams to their professional pinnacle and to showcase the skills of UK Fire and Rescue Services. UK Challenge winners go forward to represent the UKRO at the World Rescue Organisation  Annual Rescue Challenge event – showcasing the best of the UK emergency services to others and learning from international colleagues.  The vehicle extrication challenge has been at the heart of the UKRO Challenge for many years in response to the increasing number of road traffic collisions globally.

The 2015 UKRO Challenge was held at the Fire Service College with winning teams from Hampshire, Hereford, Worcester and South Wales earning the right to represent the UK at the next 2016 World Rescue Challenge in Brazil. The 2016 UK National Challenge will take place at the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters between the 8th and 10th September 2016.

In addition to the annual challenge events, the UKRO has established its International Development Programme (IDP) to assist and share experience with rescue and medical services around the world. The aim of the UKRO IDP is to identify and work alongside countries who wish to develop their vehicle rescue and pre-hospital care capability. Read More

The UKRO is a founding member of FIRE AID, contributing to the organisation’s development from day one and working with other FIRE AID members on projects in Romania, Moldova and Serbia among other areas of work.

Further information about the UK Rescue Organisation can be found on their website United Kingdom Rescue Organisation, Facebook, and Twitter accounts: @ukrochair, @UKRO_IDP, @_ukro