North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

The Mobile Rescue Center of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine participates in the implementation of state policy in the field of Euro-Atlantic integration in the following areas:

• implementation of the activities of the Annual National Program under the auspices of the Ukraine-NATO Commission;

• fulfillment of the objectives of the Partnership with NATO within the framework of the Force Planning and Assessment Process;

• participation in international exercises of the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC NATO);

• participation in other events of cooperation with NATO and individual member countries of the Alliance.
   

EADRCC

The Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) is NATO’s principal civil emergency response mechanism in the Euro-Atlantic area. It is active all year round, operational on a 24/7 basis, and involves all NATO Allies and partner countries. The Centre functions as a clearing-house system for coordinating both requests for and offers of assistance mainly in case of natural and man-made disasters.

The Main Tasks of EADRCC

The main function of the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center (EADRCC) is to coordinate the actions of NATO member states and partner countries in the case of natural disasters and man-made disasters in the Euro-Atlantic region.

EADRCC is a channel for exchanging information between NATO member countries and partner countries regarding emergency assistance.

EADRCC organizes seminars to discuss experiences gained during participation in emergency response operations and exercises coordinated by NATO bodies.

In addition, EADRCC organizes annual large-scale field training with the practice of effective methods of interaction in conditions close to real ones.

All these tasks are carried out in close cooperation with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which reserves the right to carry out the main coordination of international operations to provide assistance in the case of natural disasters and catastrophes. EADRCC was established as a regional mechanism for the coordination, support, and facilitation of UN actions.

Participation in EADRCC International Exercises

Since 2007, the main form of cooperation of the Mobile Rescue Center of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine with NATO is participation in annual international exercises organized by the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center (EADRCC). 

The majority of the personnel of the consolidated unit of the State Emergency Service, which participates in the exercises, is made up of representatives of the Mobile Rescue Center of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, including rescuers – members of the INSARAG classified urban search and rescue team MRC Ukraine, CBRN specialists, divers, and the logistic component.

Also, representatives of the State Emergency Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine are involved in the training based on competitive selection as members of the DISTAFF, OSOCC, and evaluators.