Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit

The Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit ( AFDRU ) is the disaster relief element for Urban Search and Rescue ( USAR ) in the Austrian army. AFDRU was lifted out of the baptism due to the experience gained in international disaster relief operations at home and abroad experience in 1990 and was since 1997 directly and indirectly successfully in many applications. The contingent consists of a guide, a power supply and an insert element.

AFDRU is Situated supplemented by civilian specialists such as rescue dog handler only in the case in the active volunteer and militia item and, in case of need. The responsibility for the preparation and formation of AFDRU lies with the command of the NBC defense school in Korneuburg.

Tasks and applications

The tasks of AFDRU are varied and depend on the particular application, but the main tasks are search and rescue operations in urban terrain by earthquakes, as well as the drinking water after earthquakes and floods. Since AFDRU specialists (eg, chemists, physicists, structural engineers, crisis and emergency managers, doctors, technicians ) working in different areas, AFDRU may respond well to even the most events and take corresponding measures. A AFDRU use, if necessary designed so that it can be maintained even without power supply from the outside up to 10 days. A SAR - use of AFDRU is mostly supported by search and rescue dogs by civil organizations (eg Rettungshundestaffel Firefighter - KHD Vienna, Austrian rescue dogs Brigade ), as the Austrian Armed Forces has only technical positioning options.

Primary tasks

• Search and Rescue (SAR or USAR ) of people (or even animals ) by means of biological or technical positioning
• Drinking water treatment by means of mobile water treatment systems ( TWA)
• Organizational support and coordination (crisis or disaster management, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator - OCHA)

Secondary tasks

• Advisory functions ( static, chemicals, damaged areas, organization)
• Salvage of goods and dead
• Fire-fighting
• ABC - Feel, decontamination and disease control ( on a small scale and mostly for self-protection )
• Emergency and primary care of their own staff
• (Self - ) supply

Chronology

The following data are taken from the articles of Austria army and have been adapted here to this article and partly supplemented.