Member angrily quits Vancouver earthquake rescue team

Canada's only specialized earthquake rescue team is in turmoil. A member of the Vancouver Urban Search and Rescue Team has quit in disgust. The man is furious the team was not sent to either the quake in Turkey or, more recently, in Taiwan.

Team leader Brian Inglis worries he will lose more team members if they feel they are wasting their time instead of saving lives.

The Vancouver Urban Search and Rescue Team is called in to help after a bombing, chemical spill or an earthquake in the Vancouver area. The members joined because they also wanted to save lives around the world.

Members spend thousands of hours of their spare time training and preparing for the worst. Their leader says his 72 members remain anonymous because most have full-time jobs as police officers or fire fighters.

But they were not allowed to go to Turkey or Taiwan, and Inglis says this was a missed opportunity.

"This team was designed to operate in the case of an earthquake in Vancouver. For us to gain some real experience would make all the difference in the world."

Inglis says he is not surprised a squad leader has walked out.

"It's like somebody just pulled the plug and deflated him. It's kind of the last straw."

Inglis hopes this is the first and last member to quit. But, he says, if the team does not get used soon, he may lose more people -- people who spent years training to save lives.