No. We aim to provide a range of disaster relief services, only some of which are medical. On the field we need search and rescue teams, psychological first aid, fire fighters, equipment techs, translators, and logistical coordinators. We will give you the basic training you need to be able to deploy with qualified, experienced leaders and help you find further training in areas of your interest.

Absolutely. We need volunteers all year round who can help us to prepare and meet the many requirements that are essential if we are to be ready to send teams out. During a deployment we need staff to coordinate everything for those that have gone on-location: administrators, communicators, people to arrange travel, or monitor weather and political updates – you’re all welcome! It takes a lot to keep RescueNet going, and we need people at home to make things happen in the field.

As these roles can vary largely in their nature we would invite you to contact us directly to discuss getting involved.

This is really hard to say. It depends on the number and nature of disasters occurring in any given time period, how many team members are available and numerous other factors we take into account as we pray about each potential deployment. As our team size and skills grow we will be able to respond to more disasters, but we will not respond to each and every disaster that occurs.

There are various levels of equipment and gear you will need depending on what kind of specialty you choose, if you decide to specialise. Search and Rescue, Fire, Counselling, Medical, etc. all have specialist equipment that goes along with those arenas. Basic, general PPE (Personal Protective Equipment – boots, helmet, goggles, tools, clothing, etc.) will cost approximately US$2000. You need to have many key components of this PPE before you will be able to deploy, but not all of it.

While we are pursuing sponsorship for team members, we are still self-funded. We are all volunteers. You will need to supply your own uniform and protective gear (PPE) before deploying and you will be responsible for your airfare to and expenses during a deployment.

If you complete the training successfully and join them team, you will be called whenever RescueNet goes on alert, unless you have informed us that you are unavailable.

No. If a call-out is given and you are invited to deploy, we expect you will pray and consult your family/job/leadership immediately. Also, you will likely have obligations (ministry, work, family, etc.) that will need to be cleared before you are able to deploy with us. If all these areas are clear, then please join us. You are always free to say no. However, if you do not deploy with us after several calls or a few years, then we may ask if you wish to remain committed.

Disasters are, by their very nature, largely unpredictable and unexpected. Responding during the first few days and weeks are critical for providing life-saving care. We often need to leave immediately upon notification of a disaster outbreak in order to arrive in a timely manner. This can be chaotic for responders and their families, but it is the nature of what we do. Sometimes an advance team will go ahead and scout the area and make preparations for the team. This can give the rest of the team time to prepare, but only sometimes and for no more than a couple of days.

We typically will know only the basics of our deployment when we leave. We will often have a contact in the area giving us information and will have some details about our initial location and mission; however this can change by the time we land and will likely change several times during our deployment. If we are travelling to an area where you don’t feel safe (and this will happen) you have the option to pray it through and decline.

This is because we intentionally go to dangerous places. It’s who we are. People need to know going in that we will be in some of the roughest, most devastated and potentially dangerous scenarios in the world. However, we always put our team’s safety above the needs around us.

We ask that when you return home to your local community you will engage in some sort of community service that furthers your RescueNet training. In this way you will be learning new skills and keeping them sharp all the time so that when a call-out comes, you are prepared and confident. This might mean joining a local volunteer (or paid) ambulance or fire team, or perhaps becoming a local trauma counsellor. If you need ideas or help finding services, let us know.

You will need to keep your 1st Aid/ CPR certifications current at all times. Usually they will need to be renewed every 2 years. This is the basic level of emergency response. We hope you can join RN for further training every two years or so also. That’s not mandatory, but you must be involved in some sort of ongoing learning and training in order to keep your skills up to date and ready for deployment.

In order to become part of the ever growing RescueNet team we have a strict application policy to ensure that only well-trained, capable and reliable members enter the disaster scene with us.

The first stage is to participate in one of our introductory courses, designed to expose each participant to the various fields of emergency relief work, including First Response Medicine, Search and Rescue, Fire Suppression, Disaster Psychology, Radio Communications, Disaster Childcare, Field Awareness, etc.

Annually RescueNet training courses are offered in Europe, Australia and USA. An intense two-week program will expose the participant to many basic needs and skills, and teaches the participant what they may need to become part of a team deploying into a disaster area. Besides the theory a number of practical scenarios will be introduced in which the theory needs to be applied.

The training course builds up towards a final written review and ‘disaster’ scenario. The aim of this is to simulate, as realistically as we can, in-the-field experiences, allowing the participant to evaluate whether they feel comfortable working with the team in situations of this nature.

Because RescueNet’s vision is Christian faith-based, we require that potential members have successfully completed a Discipleship Training School (DTS). In the case of medical doctors, where taking the time out for a DTS can be particularly difficult, we ask instead that you demonstrate an affiliation with YWAM, preferably in the form of a written letter from a YWAMer.
In addition, a current First Aid certificate which includes CPR competency is required to enter our training program. You will be asked to read and have understood the RescueNet manual in advance, which requires around 20 hours.

Upon completion of the first stage of training you do not become a member automatically, but will have the option to apply for membership. In this process aspects such as personal & team attitude during the training, performance, knowledge and skills will be assessed as these are important in deployments to disaster areas.

If accepted, you would enter the probationary period which consists of 2 phases – PP1 & PP2. If either phase is not completed successfully you will be invited to repeat it. We will do our best to help you shore up the areas you may be having difficulty with. We are not looking for perfection, but because of the events that we respond to, we are looking for people who have the determination and aptitude to respond appropriately in a large-scale crisis. The mental and physical pressure can be high so we insist everyone involved has confidence that the valuable work of RescueNet is suited to you.

You will be required to staff a RescueNet training course at any of the locations where it is offered. This gives leadership and experienced members time to assess you in a team context. We now also offer specific RescueNet outreaches in which you can fulfil the requirements of this first probation phase. Once successfully completed you will be expected to acquire some basic gear and vaccinations in order to be deployable.

The second phase of the PP is an actual deployment. Once you have engaged in a real-life scenario with us and have demonstrated competence on the field, you will exit your probationary phase and become a Team Member.

First, have a look at our News & Events page to find out when and where the most suitable intro course will be taking place.

Once you have decided on which course you wish to attend, contact us through the form at the bottom of the page or through the email contact listed in the course details.