Guest entry by Gwen Eamer, National Office Media Advisor
What do a plumber, electrician and orthotics fitter have in common? It might seem like the beginning of a bad joke, but in fact its the beginning of an exceptional team being trained by the Canadian Red Cross this week.
Training as Emergency Response Unit (ERU) technicians, these humanitarians will use their hands-on skills to build and maintain a field hospital that can be deployed in some of the world's most difficult settings, like major disasters.
For Winnipeg's Garth Tohms, a plumber and former member of the armed forces, training as an ERU technician gives him the opportunity to learn new skills like water chlorination to supply drinkable water to patients and staff, and use the skills he developed building base camps for the Canadian Forces.
"It's an opportunity to use my skills to help people," he said. "After training, I'll be able to provide the services in a field hospital to allow nurses and doctors to do their jobs."
The Canadian Red Cross ERU is part of a global Red Cross Red Crescent system that responds to large-scale disasters. Funded by the Canadian International Development Agency, it can be deployed with a full contingent of personnel and equipment to run a hospital for one month. For the technicians and their colleagues--including nurses, doctors, social workers, and communications specialists--the ERU is an opportunity to share their skills with communities affected by emergencies around the world.
Here's a snapshot of what goes on during ERU training.