RescueNet

Every few days our news services report on cyclones, earthquakes, bush fires, chemical spills, wars and movements of large numbers of refugees. Each one of these incidents requires teams of highly trained specialist who can go into these situations to bring stability and give emergency care to those caught up in the disaster. RescueNet is a specialist ministry of ARMS that has been set up for just such a purpose.

In any emergency there is a gap in services that appears right at the very beginning of the crisis. As response groups gear up to address the needs within that crisis decisions are made to work with the most life threatening situations first – thus 80% of the resources can be focused on 20% of the overall effected population. RescueNet has been designed to further free up such specialized services and to stabilize the needs of the greater majority of the population whose needs may be overlooked in the fist few days of a crisis. RescueNet has a window of service of 4 weeks maximum, we aim to provide on site stabilization until other rescue and aid resources can take over. RescueNet Australia deployed into Iraq in March 2003 after whilst the war was still in progress, provided emergency medical help at hospitals in Umm Qasr, Basra, and other towns in southern Iraq.

RescueNet workers are highly skilled volunteers who regularly go through rigorous training programs that keep their skills honed. All team members are ready at 24hours notice to deploy to any location in the world where there is a disaster. The smallness of the team means that not all disasters can be responded to but as the team grows so will our ability to respond.

The RescueNet training course covers specialized emergency skills that include First Aid, Light Search and Rescue, Fire Fighting and Prevention, Disaster Psychology, and Disaster Child Care. Basic training for service in RescueNet takes about three weeks, however, once trained each member seeks out further training from other agencies or groups in their area of specialty.

RescueNet is developing an international strategy to train people for service in disaster situations. People who want to join RescueNet must have successfully completed a YWAM DTS, and completed the RescueNet Basic Training program before they can apply. Details of our next training courses together with other information on RescueNet can be found on the RescueNet website www.rescuenet.com.au.

ARMS is also preparing to set up a "second phase" ministry that will train workers for medium to long term service in refugee camps and other protracted crisis situations.

Donations towards the work of RescueNet can be made on our donations page.