First Responder Initiative- Canadian Red Cross

First Responder Initiative

As the world is experiencing an upward trend in major international disasters that are affecting millions of people each year, the Canadian Red Cross is scaling up its ability to prepare for and respond, particularly in the Americas.

The First Responder Initiative is a partnership between the Government of Canada and the Canadian Red Cross. This 3-year program ensures the deployment of personnel and medical assistance is done rapidly and efficiently, which will strengthen our capacity and ability to prepare and respond.

Two Health Emergency Response Units (ERUs) for global emergency response - a Basic Health Care Unit (BHC) and a Rapid Deployment Emergency Hospital - will be on standby in Canada and ready to be deployed when needed. This is the first time these tented field hospitals will be deployable from within Canada.

The First Responder Initiative is also scaling up our human resources to ensure qualified delegates are available to be deployed quickly and to ensure our work is fully supported by staff in Canada. We will be working alongside out sister Red Cross societies in Nicaragua, Honduras, Haiti and the Dominican Republic to strengthen their ability to prepare for and respond to disasters. The local Red Cross is always the first to respond after a disaster, ensuring they are well-prepared is vital to saving lives.

Click here to learn more about Canadian Red Cross Health ERUs.

First Responder Initiative

Posted November 25, 2010