Canadian Red Cross Society First Responder Initiative 2010-2013

This project aims to improve the Red Cross Movement's ability to prepare for and respond in a timely and effective manner to the emergency needs of vulnerable populations affected by natural disasters and complex humanitarian situations particularly in the Americas. The initiative includes three components: (1) Establishing two Emergency Response Units (ERUs) which can be deployed in response to requests for international medical assistance. The ERUs include basic medical and infrastructure services and medical experts to help ensure the urgent health needs of vulnerable populations are met; (2) Recruiting training and deploying Canadian health and disaster management experts to help strengthen the Red Cross Movement's capacity in humanitarian response and disaster management; (3) Working with targeted National Red Cross Societies in the Americas to help build their disaster preparedness capacity through contingency planning and early warning systems for example.