International Rescue Corps

International Rescue Corps
AbbreviationIRC
Established1981
Founded atMedmenham, Buckinghamshire[1]
Dissolved2023
TypeCharity
Registration no.283031 (England & Wales)
SC038213 (Scotland)
FocusUrban search and rescue
HeadquartersGrangemouth, Scotland
Region served
Worldwide
Members160[2] (2011)
Co-founder
Terry Price[3]
Honorary president
Gerry Anderson
(until c. 1992)[1][4]
Last president
Lord Selkirk of Douglas[5]
Last vice-presidents
RemarksMotto: "United To Save Life"

The International Rescue Corps (IRC) was a British volunteer organisation involved in disaster rescue. Its motto was "United To Save Life".

Formed in 1981, the IRC participated in relief efforts following the 1985 Mexico City earthquake[1] and during the same year's Armero tragedy,[6] as well as in the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo (1989),[1] the 2003 Bam earthquake,[7] the 2005 Kashmir earthquake[8] and the 2009 Sumatra earthquakes.[9] It also dispatched teams in response to the February 1998 Afghanistan earthquake[10] and 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[11][12]

In the UK, the IRC assisted following the Stockline Plastics factory explosion[13] and during the 2009 Cumbria and southwest Scotland floods.[14]

In 2023, it was reported that the IRC had dissolved.[4]

Overview

The IRC was an independent (non-government-funded), United Nations-registered disaster rescue service with an accredited National Open College Network (NOCN) qualification in urban search and rescue. As a charity, the IRC was supported entirely by donations from the public and sponsorship from industry. IRC members were unpaid volunteers and all services were provided free of charge – the organisation's sole aim was to save life. The IRC was named after the fictional emergency response organisation International Rescue in the Gerry Anderson TV series Thunderbirds.[15]

The IRC was formed in 1981 in the aftermath of the 1980 Irpinia earthquake and became operational in 1985. It subsequently undertook missions both in the UK and around the world.[16] Many missions were co-operative efforts working alongside other agencies, both nationally and internationally. Overseas missions included several earthquakes, hurricanes and subsequent floods, mudslides and logistical or aid work. UK missions include gas explosions, train crashes, highline rescues, missing person searches, and floods.

Training and equipment

Originally, most IRC volunteers were emergency services personnel. They later included council workers, union representatives, management consultants, engineers and others. To carry out the IRC's role, operational members were required to satisfactorily complete a three-year training programme through the NOCN.[17] Training consisted of learning about earthquakes, specialist search-and-rescue equipment, building construction, medical aid and casualty handling, boat handling, advanced rope skills, orienteering and map reading, helicopter coordination, humanitarian logistics and communications. After the first year of training, members could perform supporting roles in local and national missions; only after the full three years (with assessments) could they take part in operations overseas.

Equipment deployed by the IRC varied according to the nature of the disaster. Principal items included thermal imaging cameras, sound detectors, fibre optic probes, portable generators and lights, cutting equipment, tents, 15 days' supply of food, and water purification equipment. This enabled the IRC to operate without drawing on the resources of the host country. Satellite communication systems enabled the organisation to provide a reconnaissance and coordination service for the UN and other agencies if requested.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Charity Founder Bemoans Japan Aid Workers 'Eviction'". bucksfreepress.co.uk. 17 March 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  2. ↑ "International Rescue Corps 'Ready for Disaster'". BBC News Online. 17 January 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  3. ↑ "International Rescue Corps Charity Founded by Marlow Man Terry Price Ready to Mobilise for Nepal Earthquake Mission". bucksfreepress.co.uk. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  4. 1 2 Dale, Chris (4 December 2023). "International Rescue Corps Dissolved After More Than 40 Years' Service". Anderson Entertainment. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  5. 1 2 "About Us". intrescue.info. International Rescue Corps. Archived from the original on 10 December 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  6. ↑ Treaster, Joseph B. (21 November 1985). "Volcano Rescue Appears to End". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  7. ↑ Burleigh, James (28 December 2003). "World Races to Aid Stricken Survivors in Disaster Zone". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  8. ↑ Lewis, Stephen (30 October 2009). "The Work of International Rescue with Its Volunteer Training Base at Hawkhills, Near Easingwold". yorkpress.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  9. ↑ "Knowsley Policeman Among Earthquake Rescue Team to Travel to Indonesia". liverpoolecho.co.uk. 13 October 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  10. ↑ "Rescue Workers Delayed". heraldscotland.com. 10 February 1998. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  11. ↑ "International Rescue Corps Team Unable to Join Operation in Japan". gov.uk. Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 16 March 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  12. ↑ "Foreign Office Responds to International Rescue Corps Press Release". gov.uk. Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  13. ↑ English, Shirley (13 May 2004). "International Specialists Use Latest High-Tech Aids". thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  14. ↑ "Julie Ryan, Of Welburn, Helps Flood-Hit Cumbrian Villages as Part of International Rescue Corps Team". gazetteherald.co.uk. 25 November 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  15. ↑ Ward, Cassidy (29 November 2023). "Remembering the Innovation and Imagination of Sci-Fi Puppet Show Thunderbirds". syfy.com. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  16. ↑ "International Rescue Corps Details". United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Archived from the original on 24 October 2007. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
  17. ↑ "UK Awarding Organisation – Educational Qualifications". National Open College Network. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.

Further reading

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