The Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) is an elite team within the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), formed in 1990 to handle complex rescue and fire fighting incidents, such as urban search and rescue; prolonged fire fighting; height and confined space operations; and water rescue.
One of the very specialised vocations in the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), it is staffed by handpicked firefighters, who show exceptional skills in Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) and very complex firefighting skills. The selection process for Dart is very stringent and only the best trainees pass the course. The team's operations include the training and utilisation of rescue dogs. Robots are also increasingly being utilised to minimise danger faced by Dart personnel and an array of complex rescue equipments which are used for USAR.
International rescue operation
DART members form the bulk of SCDF members dispatched overseas for search and rescue operations.
In October 2005, a 44-member DART was sent to Pakistan to help in the relief and rescue operations following the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. The DART were also sent to Bandar Aceh in Indonesia during the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake which claimed almost 150,000 lives. Ever since then, the DART had received international recognition and are regarded as one of the best USAR teams in the world
In May 2008, a 55-member DART was sent to China to help in the relief and rescue operations following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.
In February 2011, a 55-member DART team was sent to New Zealand to assist in urban search and rescue operations after the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake.