What started as a gem of an idea at a Red Cross Emergency Management Core Group (EMCG-Pacific) meeting in Suva in May 2004, has grown into an annual capacity building activity for Fiji Red Cross Disaster Preparedness and Response Programme.

The Emergency Response Team (ERT) training got underway in Lololo, Lautoka from 17/05 till 23/05 with 32 volunteers from the various branches coming together to hone their disaster response skills.“Distance and time is an acknowledged problem in disaster response in the Pacific and frequently disasters occur in remote or inaccessible locations,” says FRCS Disaster Coordinator Vuli Gauna.

“National societies in the Pacific are generally small and usually have only one disaster manager so if the manager is deployed to the location of the disaster, two problems arise – a vacuum in disaster response expertise in the national office and there is a slow down in response because he/she is not in a coordinating role but rather a delivery one.”

The creation of ERTs sought to have a team of highly trained volunteers undertake and manage basic requirements of the Red Cross in times of disaster or emergency within their local communities.

In situations where a larger scale disaster or emergency occurs, or a disaster occurs in a community where Red Cross is not present, it was envisioned that the ERTs would also be dispatched there.

A recent deployment of ERTs to Vanualevu, Cikobia and the Lau Group in the aftermath of TC Tomas in March this year, put this to the test and their able response saw to the end of a success response and relief effort on the part of the ERT.

“In 2006, the first pilot ERT Course was held at Lololo Pine Station in Lautoka and was conducted over a period of one week. This covered map reading, safer access and communications,” Mr. Gauna said.

Since then, approximately 20 new volunteers are trained each year in addition to the existing ERT members with the scope of training expanding as well. The volunteers are drawn from each of the 15 Red Cross branches located Fiji-wide.“The course this year has now evolved to a week’s training and now covers topics such as Initial Damage Assessments, Resource Mobilisation and Psycho-social Support,” Mr. Gauna said.

At the end of the training participants are able to:

  Know and understand the history of the Red Cross, the significance and appropriate use of the Emblem, the seven fundamental Principles and the different components of the Red Cross Movement

  Understand fully the expected behaviour standards for field personnel

  Be able to conduct a Disaster Assessment in the field

  Be able to develop a Needs Analysis

  Be able to undertake an appropriate Resource Mobilisation

  Understand the basic criteria for the distribution of Relief Items

  Be able to produce regular and meaningful Situation Reports and