Paul Burns is the task force leader of Urban Search and Rescue.
Complaints about the response of emergency services after the February earthquake in Christchurch will be examined by a Coroner.
Twenty seven men and women who risked their lives to save others after the February 2011 earthquake in Christchurch have been recognised for their bravery. Joining us is a Christchurch firefighter, Paul Rodwell, one of the first on scene at the CTV building and who has been awarded a medal in the awards.
A photograph of an Urban Search and Rescue team member removing a framed picture from the wall of a flat on Poplar Street during the Residential Access Project. The project gave residents temporary access within the red-zone cordon in order to retrieve items from their homes.
A photograph of equipment from the New Zealand Fire Service Urban Search and Rescue team on display in the Canterbury Quakes exhibition at the Canterbury Museum. The equipment was used during the emergency response to the 22 February 2011 earthquake.
A photograph of workers and members of the Hutt City Emergency Response team and New Zealand Urban Search and Rescue team posing for a photograph. The photograph was taken outside the United States headquarters in Latimer Square.
Mitchell Brown from the USAR National Management Team farewelling the Taiwanese Search and Rescue Team at the Christchurch International Airport. The team is heading home after helping with the emergency response to the Canterbury Earthquake.
Rob Saunders from the New Zealand Fire Department farewelling the Taiwanese Search and Rescue Team at the Christchurch International Airport. The team is heading home after helping with the emergency response to the Canterbury Earthquake.
Structural Engineers from the New Zealand and Los Angeles County Fire Department Urban Search and Rescue teams outside the Kenton Chambers Building on Hereford Street.
One of the defining images of the Christchurch earthquake has been the photo of an ash covered Shane Tomlin, pulled alive from a bakery in Cashel Mall. His mother Doreen Tomlin, says she only realised her son had been rescued when she saw his photo on the front page of The Press.
A photograph of a Singapore Rescue Team tent set up in Latimer Square after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. In the foreground there is a group of tents, cordoned off with tape and plastic mesh.
A digitally manipulated image of a recruitment advertisement for the NZ Police, which depicted police officer Spence Kingi pulling a woman from the rubble. The photographer comments, "Using Scribbler Too I created my interperation of the police rescue during the 22 February earthquake in Christchurch".
Mitchell Brown from the USAR National Management Team farewelling the Taiwanese Search and Rescue Team at the Christchurch International Airport. The team is heading home after helping with the emergency response to the Canterbury Earthquake.
Members of the New Zealand and Chinese Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams on the site of the CTV Building. In the background, the damaged St John's Church can be seen.
Manchester St Near Sol Square
Pip Ramby was rescued from the top floor of the Canterbury televison building.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Safety issues. Fire rescue personnel dismantle chimneys in Kaiapoi".
Beside alley way to Sol Square
The coroner has ruled the search and rescue effort at Christchurch's CTV building did not contribute to the deaths of eight people who survived the initial collapse. However Gordon Matenga criticised nearly every aspect of the fire service's response to the tragedy that claimed 115 of the 185 lives lost in the February 2011 earthquake.
Structural Engineers from the New Zealand and Los Angeles County Fire Department Urban Search and Rescue teams performing an assessment of the Kenton Chambers Building on Hereford Street.
Structural Engineers from the New Zealand and Los Angeles County Fire Department Urban Search and Rescue teams performing an assessment of the Kenton Chambers Building on Hereford Street.
An image from a Army News March 2011 article titled, "Defence Medical Personnel Use Their Expertise". The image shows members of the South Australian Urban Search and Rescue team digging through rubble in the central city.
Structural Engineers from the New Zealand and Los Angeles County Fire Department Urban Search and Rescue teams performing assessments of buildings on High Street near Manchester Street.
A member of the Australian Urban Search and Rescue team standing next to a pile of bricks on Tuam Street. In the distance, dust is rising off a damaged store which is being demolished by a digger.
Emergency personnel gathered on Madras Street outside the collapsed Canterbury Television building. A digger and the Urban Search and Rescue team can be seen searching the rubble while fire fighters work to extinguish the fire in the building.
Members of the South Australian Urban Search and Rescue team on Barbadoes Street, with a New Zealand Army vehicle and a digger behind them. Metal fences have been placed across the street to serve as a cordon.
Bridget Mills is in the Christchurch central city with one of the rescue teams.
A member of the recovery team holding a computer screen, rescued from the Registry Building.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Search and Rescue workers outside the Copthorne Hotel on Colombo Street".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Troy Reed (17) of Spencerville rescued his grandfather after Saturday's earthquake".