Norway Landslide
Est. Read Time: 2 mins.
In the muck.
That’s where the Oslo K9 Police unit find themselves as they continue a frantic search for survivors of a dramatic landslide that caused a crater like schism in the ground just 30 minutes north of Oslo. Houses have collapsed and have been completely crushed by mud, all while people were sleeping peacefully in their beds.
But how do you search during an active landslide when there are literally no inroads to the area?
As per our Norwegian contact, here is how Erlend Gray from Norselink describes the scene:
Kenneth and Piko after a long shift, utilizing the Patrol Swat Vest and Intruder Camera System
“The dog handler, Kenneth, was attached to a helicopter hanging above his dog, Piko, searching the disaster area on a long line. The danger was high and the dog handler was attached to the helicopter for immediate evacuation. This was their first initial work with the dogs.
After many hours, the rest of the search team were able to find a road in and start searching from the ground, but this was hard work and very demanding. If the Oslo Police K9 team would not have had the K9 Storm Patrol Swat Vest and SAR Vest they would not have been able to search at all in this early stage of the landslide.
Being able to be lowered down and search, while still being attached to the helicopter was extreme but worked well. The addition of the Intruder Camera System allowed them to determine what the dog saw when entering crashed houses. They were able to get valuable markings from this. The K9 Storm Vests and Intruder delivered and got to show it’s capabilities in a catastrophic event where the dogs were the key tool in the search work.”
Olso Landslide - another search dog team with the K9 Storm SAR Vest. Photo Cred: NTB/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
All K9 Storm Vests have a patented load bearing harness system rated to 2,500 lbs. This allows dogs to rappel and fast-rope into disaster scenarios and work immediately once they hit the ground. It’s integral to the safety of working dogs for scenarios that nobody can even fathom.
There are still people missing as of this writing and the K9 teams are still out there searching. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they continue to search amongst the wreckage for survivors, and that they may continue to do their job and come home safely.