As we see the heartbreaking footage in the aftermath of the recent tornados in Oklahoma, just as we have in many other places throughout the country year after year, many people often wonder – who is spray-painting on the outside of the damaged houses and what do those markings mean?

Those are urban search and rescue (US&R) markings. They are left by US&R team members to record and display to other rescuers that a search has already been conducted there and what the results of the search were. As directed in the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National US&R Response System Recue Field Operations Guide, these search assessment markings are completed as such:

1) A single slash is made upon the entry of the search team into the structure. To the left of the slash, the call sign of the unit as well as the date and time of entry is recorded. This initial marking denotes that a search is ongoing, and a team is currently in the structure.

2) Upon exiting the structure, a second slash is made, completing the “X” near the door. This signifies to professional passersby that the search has been complete and all members of the team have left the structure accounted for.

3) The date and time that the team exited the structure is entered in the top part of the X.

4) The remaining two sections of the X are used for additional information – the right side lists any hazards in the structure and the bottom lists the number of victims/survivors in the structure, specifying how many are alive and how many dead.

Here is an example of a completed search assessment marking:

Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by these horrible storms.