Consider this: a disaster strikes anywhere in the world. How quickly can help arrive? That’s where ERICAM comes in.
ERICAM stands for Emergencia y Respuesta Inmediata de la Comunidad de Madrid. It means Emergency and Immediate Response of the Community of Madrid. This team gives a coordinated response to disasters. These disasters might occur in Spain or anywhere else in the world.
ERICAM started in August 2007. It began with the ERIC team. ERIC stands for Equipo de Rápida Intervención en Catástrofes de la Comunidad de Madrid. That means Rapid Intervention Team in Catastrophes of the Community of Madrid. These were firefighters. Later, the EIS team joined ERICAM. EIS is Equipo de Intervención Sanitaria del SUMMA 112. It means Sanitary Intervention Team of SUMMA 112. This added a medical group to ERICAM. Finally, canine search teams joined.
This organization helps send aid from Madrid in an organized way. Before 2007, help was not well-organized. The Fire Department helped during earthquakes in Mexico in 1985. They also helped in El Salvador in 2001. Further deployments were in Turkey and Algeria in 2003. Morocco also received support in 2004.
The Dirección General de Protección Ciudadana created ERIC. This is the General Directorate of Citizen Protection. It belongs to the Consejería de Presidencia y Justicia. This is the Ministry of Presidency and Justice of the Community of Madrid.
In 2009, SUMMA 112 joined. They created the EIS. Canine units later joined through agreements. These agreements were with the Consejería de Presidencia y Justicia.
The canine units included: Unidad Canina de Protección Civil de Las Rozas. There was also Escuela Española de Salvamento y Detección con Perros. BOMBEROS-GIRECAN and UCAB also joined. ERICAM also has press and communications staff. They are from Comunicación 112 de la Comunidad de Madrid.
ERICAM works with the Dirección General de Cooperación al Desarrollo. This is the General Directorate of Cooperation for Development. It is part of the Viceconsejería de Inmigración y Cooperación. This is the Deputy Ministry of Immigration and Cooperation. It belongs to the Consejería de Asuntos Sociales. This is the Ministry of Social Affairs of Madrid. Other emergency groups in Madrid help too. The Cruz Roja collaborates as well.
After the initial agreements ended, ERICAM kept agreements with ESDP. That is Escuela Española de Salvamento. They also kept agreements with Protección Civil de Las Rozas.
ERICAM is always ready. They can mobilize in 4 hours. They work nationally and internationally. They can be self-sufficient abroad for 7 days. The minimum group size changes. It depends on the disaster. It can be from 12 to 40 people.
About 200 emergency professionals are part of ERICAM. They are volunteers. They include firefighters and medical staff. Canine search experts also volunteer.
ERIC is made up of about 140 firefighters. They volunteer from the Madrid Fire Department. They have special tools for disaster intervention. ERIC organizes operations. They maintain the main warehouse. It is at the central fire station in Las Rozas. They work in two-week alert shifts.
EIS has about 60 emergency medical staff. They volunteer from SUMMA 112. Canine search teams also participate. Initially, agreements existed with several canine units. Now, only ESDP and Protección Civil de Las Rozas have agreements.
ERICAM handles many situations. These include earthquakes and tsunamis. They also handle volcanoes, hurricanes, and tornadoes. ERICAM deals with floods and landslides. They respond to building collapses and large fires. They also support medical teams and the public.
ERICAM is certified as a medium urban rescue team by the UN. They passed a classification exam.
Since 2018, ERICAM joined the European Civil Protection System. It is a MUSAR module. This means Medium Urban Search and Rescue Team. The EU can activate them for earthquakes. This applies inside or outside the EU.
In 2016, ERICAM received an award from the Madrid government. That same year, they received a Civil Protection Medal. It was in the Bronze category. The Spanish Ministry of the Interior gave the award.