Emirates Search and Rescue Team: A Beacon of Humanity and Relief Across Continents
The operations of the United Arab Emirates' Search and Rescue Team and its humanitarian missions have extended to every corner of the world, providing support, assistance, and relief to those in need. This initiative operates in line with the vision and guidance of the UAE's wise leadership, based on principles of kindness, generosity, and humanity. It emphasizes the commitment to charitable and humanitarian work and swift action to aid those in distress and alleviate the suffering of the afflicted.
The Emirati team is renowned as one of the most professional and disciplined international teams, consisting of an elite group of experts, including medical and ambulance teams, as well as specialists in search and rescue and air support. They are equipped to handle all disaster scenarios using state-of-the-art vehicles, equipment, aircraft, and cutting-edge technology.
The Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team comprises experts, specialists, and forensic consultants in areas such as medical, dental, and DNA identification. They possess advanced equipment and tools for disaster victim identification, mass casualty management, body and human remains processing, and sample collection.
The Emirati search and rescue team is backed by aircraft with diverse missions, including ambulance planes and drones capable of executing precise missions and accessing hard-to-reach disaster-stricken areas. They conduct tasks like surveying areas, aerial photography, and data transmission, which provide vital information and enhance mission success and response speed.
The team also includes specialized medical personnel for rapid emergency assistance and psychological support. They possess extensive on-the-ground experience in managing natural disasters and crisis situations.
The team utilizes tents for operations and interventions, as well as trained search dogs. Additionally, they have specialized vehicles, including ambulances, assessment units, command and reconnaissance units, safety inspections, first responder patrols, K9 patrols, search and rescue patrols, mobile workshops, transportation vehicles, and emergency response trucks. Lighting and transport vehicles are used in the most affected and challenging terrains.
The "Emirates Search and Rescue Team" holds a global reputation and appreciation for their professionalism and the skills of their personnel, who receive the highest levels of training and adhere to the strictest international protocols and standards.
The team holds a high-level international accreditation from the United Nations International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) and is authorized to conduct regional and international search and rescue operations.
The Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team is the first team in the Middle East and North Africa to be accredited by INTERPOL's Disaster Victim Identification Steering Group, thanks to their proficiency in Arabic and adherence to the Islamic religion. The team has permanent seats in the specialized subgroups of the main steering group.
The DVI team boasts a modern technical system to deal with disasters, including virtual digital autopsies and a technical file management program. They have access to a number of global databases that support human identification, including American databases for forensic osteology, available 24/7. They also participate in databases provided by INTERPOL.
Team members are highly qualified, holding international scholarships and memberships, such as those from the Royal Australian College of Forensic Pathology, the German Council of Forensic Medicine, the International Society for Forensic Identification in the USA, the Royal Osteological Society in the UK, international memberships in fingerprint sciences, genetics, and a scholarship from the American Board of Trauma and Medical Liability. They also have memberships in the International Crime Scene Investigators Association and licenses as underwater crime scene examiners, the first in the region.
Furthermore, the team has membership in the International Society for Human Blood Group Analysis and is accredited by the British Authority for International Accreditation (UKAS).
The team includes the first two Emirati doctors with the title of consultant in forensic medicine, the first Emirati doctor as a consultant in forensic radiology and digital anatomy, the first Emirati specialist in forensic osteopathy in the Middle East and North Africa, and the first doctor in human genomics.
The team also includes experts and psychologists to support victims' families, dentists, genetic testing experts, and specialists in crisis and disaster management.
Transcontinental Humanitarian Missions
Guided by wise leaders, the Emirati Search and Rescue Team has conducted humanitarian missions in numerous friendly and brotherly countries worldwide. The UAE's charitable footprint has been present on all continents, extending a helping hand and providing assistance to those affected. The UAE's commitment to fulfilling its humanitarian duty by aiding victims of natural disasters complements the relief systems they implement in friendly and neighboring countries.
The United Arab Emirates was one of the first countries to provide assistance to Turkey, Syria, the Kingdom of Morocco, Libya, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sumatra Island in Malaysia, and other nations worldwide.
The UAE's Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team has participated in search operations following the Malaysia Airlines plane crash in Indonesia in 2014, the Malaysia Airlines plane crash in Ukraine in 2015, and the tsunami disaster as an observer.
High Aspirations and World-Class Training
The Emirati Search and Rescue Team is one of the region's few standout teams in this field. Its training follows the guidance of wise leaders to become the cornerstone for achieving the highest goal: saving precious human lives, offering relief to those in distress, and helping countries worldwide during challenging times. The team contributes to the development and advancement of global search and rescue services by providing advice, guidance, training, and technical assistance in coordination with international countries and organizations.
The team collaborates with counterparts from friendly and brotherly nations to exchange experiences in search and rescue, conduct joint exercises, arrange reciprocal visits, develop leadership capabilities in these fields, and leverage advanced sciences and modern technologies to enhance excellence in the search and rescue process.
The "United Arab Emirates Disaster Victim Identification Team" has been trained in Australia, Germany, France, the USA, Ireland, the UK, and other countries worldwide.
