Our Mission
We are an International Rapid Response Team.
Our aim is to show God’s love by helping victims of a disaster in the best way we can. As a rapid response emergency relief team we respond as soon as the local government has issued an invitation for international assistance . We typically deploy within 48-72 hours after an event. We work in coordination
with the UN, local government and other lead agencies to provide quality assistance to those who need it most.
We are equipped to provide survivors of disasters with:
- Light search and rescue
- Emergency medical care via our mobile clinic
- Logistics
- Psychosocial support
- Child Care and Protection
We are ALL volunteers, and each member of the team pays for their own training, gear and deployment costs.
Sudden onset disasters are becoming more frequent and cause the loss of many lives and livelihoods around the world every year. We believe that we are called to carry God’s loving presence into some of these desperate situations, serving people and communities with practical skills and compassion. One of our goals is to see RescueNet expand so that we are able to respond to more disasters with more teams and thus help reach more people in need.
Our History
RescueNet was originally the God-given vision of Brett Harwood from the United States of America. From 1986 onwards, when he established RescueNet, he took medical teams into different emergencies in Central America. It soon became quite apparent that one team wouldn’t be able to respond to all situations every time and a larger vision began to emerge. Brett dreamed of having multiple teams strategically placed around the world. This vision began to become a reality when RescueNet was introduced in Australia in 2000. In December 2001 the first RescueNet course in Adelaide, Australia was held but around the same time RescueNet US practically ceased to exist due to Brett’s ailing health. During the response to the September 11, 2001 disaster in New York, Brett contracted asbestos poisoning and was unable to continue leading RescueNet. However, in June 2004 RescueNet was re-introduced to the USA and in 2007 RescueNet Europe started in the Netherlands.
To date, RescueNet teams have responded to many disasters around the world. Aiming to be at the site within 48 hours of the disaster, the RescueNet rapid response unit is able to provide medical care, search and rescue, fire suppression, disaster childcare and assist in aid distribution.
Previous deployments include:
El-Salvador 1986 (Earthquake, civil war)
Honduras 1998 (Hurricane Mitch)
Kosovo crisis 1998
Turkey 1999 (Earthquake)
New York City, USA 2001 (9/11 Twin Towers attack)
Iraq 2003 (assisting those wounded in the aftermath of the war.)
Indonesia 2004 (Indian Ocean tsunami)
Pakistan 2005 (Earthquake)
Philippines 2005 (Landslides)
Samoa 2009 (Tsunami)
Indonesia 2009 (Earthquake)
Haiti 2010 (Earthquake)
Oklahoma, USA 2013 (Tornados)
Philippines 2013 (Typhoon Haiyan)
Vanuatu 2015 (Cyclone Pam)
Nepal 2015 (Earthquake)
Mozambique 2019 (Cyclone)
Bahamas 2019 (Hurricane)