Emergency Response Units leap into action following emergencies worldwide

Regardless of where you reside, emergencies worldwide can strike at any time. While some natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, wildfires, epidemics or other emergencies may not take place in your backyard, the impact that these major catastrophes can have on the world at large can be deafening and leave residual damage in places you'd least expect.

When a large-scale disaster occurs, the Canadian Red Cross can respond by deploying a field hospital along with trained staff to respond to emergencies and help those in need.

Created in 1996, Emergency Response Units (ERU) act as a vital layer of support for vulnerable persons when the resources of local facilities have been overwhelmed or do not exist. ERUs can be deployed anywhere in the world within 48 hours after an alert from the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and following a rapid assessment that ensures a targeted response based on the needs of the affected population. Once the equipment and the team reach the field, the ERU can start treating patients, including surgery, within the first 10 hours and can stay for up to four months.

Once deployed, a field hospital is self-sufficient for one month and operates with a multidisciplinary team of 10 to 20 trained professionals who are working alongside local staff recruited in the country. ERU delegates are highly qualified professionals and often hold regular positions within their field of expertise.

In addition to the Field Hospital owned by the Canadian Red Cross, other types of ERUs are on standby in the world. Those ERUs can complement the response to an emergency and offer services such as water and sanitation, distribution of relief items, IT and telecommunication to relief and logistics.

With the generous support of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Canadian Red Cross currently has two ERUs ready to deploy - a field clinic called a Basic Health Care Unit and a Rapid Deployment Emergency Hospital. In the past, the Canadian Red Cross has responded to cholera outbreaks in Haiti, Chad and Sierra Leone. 

If you believe your work history and commitment to humanitarian values would make you a strong candidate for an ERU position, the Canadian Red Cross is recruiting the following profiles for its ERU team: Nurses, Doctors, Surgeons and Anaesthetists, Social Workers, Midwives, Administrators, Technicians, X-Ray and Lab Technicians.

Please visit the website to view available job listings and other criteria for prospective team members.