150+ Canadians Day 91: DART
Image: Estancia, Philippines – Lieutenant Sharon Ong, from 5e Régiment du génie de combat, Valcartier and Liaison Officer for the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), exchanges information with a Municipal Social Welfare Office representative in order to assess the needs of the local population.
Canada’s Disaster Assistance Response Team contributes to peace by providing shelter, first aid, water & food to victims of disaster.
The Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) is a multidisciplinary unit of military members and civilians from Global Affairs Canada. It is not a standing force, but a group of pre-identified personnel that deploys on short notice anywhere in the world upon the request of the country in need.
From the National Defense Website:
“In 1994, the DND medical unit from Petawawa, Ontario was deployed to Rwanda, where hundreds of thousands of people living in refugee camps faced an outbreak of cholera. Despite best efforts, the medical contingent did not arrive until after the epidemic had passed its peak. The Canadian government recognized the need for a rapid-response capability to provide effective humanitarian aid.”
DART is designed to deploy in situations ranging from natural disasters to complex humanitarian emergencies, and works to prevent the onset of secondary effects of disaster. It acts to stabilize the primary effects of the disaster until the local government and international organizations are capable of assuming responsibility for subsequent recovery and reconstruction efforts. DART works alongside local authorities and other international organizations and agencies.
The team focuses on delivering water purification, primary medical help and engineering
assistance. It supplies aid for up to 40 days to those suffering from natural disasters.
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