Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit
Encyclopedia
The Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit (short AFDRU) is an Urban search and rescue (USAR)
and disaster relief unit of the Austria
n federal army (the Bundesheer
).
It was created in 1990 in response to various disasters, especially the earthquake in Armenia in 1988.
AFDRU is specifically designed to be deployed in other countries. The unit can be airlifted within 10 hours of receiving orders, and carries enough equipment to operate on its own for two weeks.
The unit was active in many disasters, in particular in Iran during the 2003 earthquake and in Sri Lanka
following the tsunami disaster
in 2004.
Urban search and rescue
Urban search and rescue involves the location, extrication, and initial medical stabilization of victims trapped in confined spaces due to natural disasters, structural collapse, transportation accidents, mines and collapsed trenches.USAR teams in different countries may be organised in a...
and disaster relief unit of the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n federal army (the Bundesheer
Military of Austria
The Österreichisches Bundesheer , is the name for the military of the Republic of Austria....
).
It was created in 1990 in response to various disasters, especially the earthquake in Armenia in 1988.
AFDRU is specifically designed to be deployed in other countries. The unit can be airlifted within 10 hours of receiving orders, and carries enough equipment to operate on its own for two weeks.
The unit was active in many disasters, in particular in Iran during the 2003 earthquake and in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
following the tsunami disaster
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
in 2004.
External links
- English page on AFDRU on the website of the Austrian federal army (BundesheerMilitary of AustriaThe Österreichisches Bundesheer , is the name for the military of the Republic of Austria....
).