Firefighter and search dog return from Japan

Cheshire Firefighter Steve Buckley and Border collie search dog Bryn have returned home from earthquake Tsunami hit Japan.

They arrived back at Manchester airport on Saturday following a week away where they were seconded to an International Search And Rescue (ISAR) team from Kent.

Following a seven hour journey Steve and Bryn joined a team of 64 who initially searched an industrial area of the
Ofunato. 

On the Tuesday they were redeployed to a town called Kamaishi further up the coast, where no search teams had previously
been.  
        
Steve described the conditions as restricting  as it had already been snowing prior to their arrival, and thick snow  covered the ground which hampered their mobility due to the amount of  debris under foot, which was disguised by the snow fall.

Steve told Heart FM:

" It's total devastation, the areas we searched were near the coast and everything was trashed. You had large boats six hundred metres into land after the water picked them up and dumped them there. "  

Steve says:

"Unlike a straightforward earthquake, the tsunami had done so much more damage.  Boats had been carried with the
force of the water and just dropped in the middle of the town some 600  metres from the sea.  What I saw was nature at its most damaging with the force that the water toppling houses over on their roofs and water lines more than 20 feet high on
houses which were over 400 metres from the sea."
       
Steve added,

"The people we met, although in deep shock, were humbling and dignified in the light of such tragedy.  We were given such a warm reception.  I would also like  to thank my fellow ISAR team members for their efforts and professionalism under harrowing conditions."