RESCUE-NET

Rescue Net is a national ministry run through Australian Relief and Mercy Services (ARMS). Rescue Net trains and equips teams for deployment to natural and man-made disasters around the world. These teams deploy within 48 hours of a disaster. Their aim is to work alongside other emergency services on the ground to provide extra people resources. Serving people affected by a disaster gives us the chance to show them the love of God through our actions.

Team members are made up of individuals from various YWAM ministries around the world - including our YWAM base here in Brisbane. We give our staff members the flexibility to serve in their specific roles with the opportunity to head out at a moments notice to help those in urgent need. 

Registered with the UN, the RescueNet team will often stay at the event for up to 3-4 weeks helping stabilise the effected area until a longer term NGO effort is mounted.

To date, RescueNet has responded to many disasters such as Honduras (hurricane "Mitch"), Yugoslavia, Albania (Kosovo crisis), Turkey (earthquake), Nicaragua (civil war, medical evacuations), Bangladesh (medical clinics), Rwanda (Disaster Child Care, orphaned children), Bulgaria (famine relief), El-Salvador (earthquake, civil war), Mexico (hurricane, medical care), Iraq (war), Philippines (Tornadoes), Banda Aceh (Indian Ocean tsunami) and Pakistan (earthquake).

To become a RescueNet team member, people need to first successfully complete a DTS and the two week RescueNet Emergency Relief training course (details below), and then make a successful application to the RescueNet Board.

RESCUE-NET EMERGENCY RELIEF TRAINING COURSE 

RescueNet operates specialised, two week training courses. The course exposes the participants to the various fields of emergency relief work including First Response Medicine, Search and Rescue, Fire Suppression, Disaster Psychology, Radio Communications, Disaster Childcare, etc. To participate in this course, you must have successfully completed a DTS and hold a current First Aid certificate.

Using a modular form of training, RescueNet uses the expertise of local emergency service organizations to train on nationally recognized levels. Following the theory training, each participant is engaged in a very real life scenario, which lasts for several hours and encompasses everything that has been taught.

Throughout these entire training courses, each participant is closely monitored for their acceptance to the intense training, their acceptance to those around them, and their negotiations throughout a very intense and dynamic scenario. This helps the team to better assess each participants retention abilities, their reaction to stress and tension, their teamsmanship and their reaction to massive injuries.

Graduates of these courses are then eligible to apply to join the every-growing international RescueNet team.

Once joined, each team member is then strongly encouraged to purchase their personal protective equipment (PPE) and to then join a local emergency service agency of their choosing, to enable their skills to be further enhanced.

For more information about RescueNet please visit www.rescuenet.org.au