In this study, we developed a hydraulic manipulator to assist firefighters and rescue personnel at disaster sites. In the design procedure, we analyzed the manipulator considering the hydraulic actuators as well as the manipulator kinematics and dynamics. For the user interface, a macro/manual operation concept was proposed to provide an effective response in emergency and disaster situations. To cope with abnormalities of the disaster site operator, a protocol for switching local/remote operations was developed. The effectiveness of the hydraulic manipulator and operating system was verified through task implementation experiment.