1.
a team of trained personnel organized to rescue people in emergencies such as disasters, mountain accidents, or maritime incidents
A group of trained rescuers — firefighters, coast guard members, mountain rescuers, or military personnel — dispatched to save lives in emergencies. Common compounds specify the context: 山岳救助隊 (mountain rescue), 海上救助隊 (sea rescue), 災害救助隊 (disaster rescue).
救助隊が到着した。
The rescue team has arrived.
遭難者を救助隊が発見した。
The rescue team found the people in distress.
山岳救助隊がヘリコプターで現場に向かった。
The mountain rescue team headed to the scene by helicopter.
地震の被災地には各国から救助隊が派遣された。
Rescue teams from various countries were dispatched to the earthquake-stricken area.
A collective noun for a trained team that responds to emergencies and saves lives. Regularly appears in news reports of disasters, accidents, and missing-person cases.
USAGE:
- Often prefixed to specify the domain: 山岳・海上・災害・国際救助隊.
- Individual members are 救助隊員.
- Activities performed by such a team are 救助活動 (rescue operations).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 救助隊を派遣する: to dispatch a rescue team
- 救助隊が出動する: the rescue team is deployed
- 救助隊が到着する: the rescue team arrives
- 国際救助隊: international rescue team
- 山岳救助隊: mountain rescue team
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 救急隊: ambulance team, paramedic team — focused on emergency medical response, usually affiliated with fire departments.
- 消防隊: firefighting team — specialized in extinguishing fires, but may also perform rescues.
- レスキュー隊: rescue team (loan-word version) — common in casual and media contexts, roughly interchangeable with 救助隊.