The Emergency Response Unit (ERU) kit is designed to support emergency teams deploying in the field and make them as self-sufficient as possible. The kits that are put together and maintained by National Societies contain key items for the ERU teams to perform their role, including infrastructure items to help operate offices and warehouses such as tents and generators, as well as items for delegates themselves, such as camping and kitchen equipment.
The purpose of the kit is also to act as a capacity-building tool – there is a general rule that items sent into the operation will be left with the , for use in future disasters. Once the kit has been dispatched, the British Red Cross’ international logistics team will generally procure a new kit. When a team wishes to return specific items of a kit, they will propose it to the logistics and emergencies teams, who will make a decision.
The British Red Cross holds two types of ERUs:
- logistics (the British Red Cross holds two full kits, so can potentially deploy two Logistics ERUs at the same time)
- mass sanitation module for 20,000 people (MSM20).
As this is an standard tool, the kit list is standardised across ERUs – the lists can be found on the IFRC standard product catalogue (SPC). National Societies can add items to the kit, but they cannot take any away.
The National Societies that hold the ERUs meet regularly in Geneva and sometimes review and update the kit list, but this can only be done in agreement with the other ERU holders.
For more details about the procedures that apply to the maintenance, replenishment and deployment of the ERU kits that the British Red Cross holds in stock, refer to the IFRC website, the ERU kit SOP and the ERU chapter of this manual.
Read the next section on RLU stock management here.
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