24 Jul 2015   

ARPA Leads Global Disaster and Emergency Relief Solutions with SITEC

This rapid response engineering and medical system can be deployed quickly right in the aftermath of a catastrophe to take care of survivors

Special crisis and emergency situations, such as the one in Nepal last May, require specific and effective answers. ARPA Equipos móviles de Campaña has come up with one of the most optimized turnkey solutions in its field due to the experience achieved for 45 years operating around the world. SITEC (Catastrophe and Emergency Tactical Integrated Solution) represents one of the most advanced engineering, logistics, medical and transportation equipment. It enables fast and tactical response to meet the needs of survivors in the aftermath of a catastrophe in a more effective, sustainable and cost-efficient way right from its deployment and adapted to any climate and terrain characteristics.     

Different governments, first-aid organizations and emergency and relief international agencies all over the world can find on SITEC a quick solution from the first minute to take care of survivors within severely damaged areas in different operations.

SITEC is a set of different components, all perfectly packed up together in portable containers to be delivered to any part of the world in less than a week, although for a best performance, it should be ready and stored in the area just in case of need, because it is a preventive tool. It enables any organization to strike back with a unique solution for each case. Besides its particular adaptability, it always uses a very similar deployment and action scheme.

Since ARPA is an extremely professional company who takes care of its clients, we are absolutely concerned about endangered lives in extreme situations. Therefore, if needed, although SITEC is a turnkey solution ready to be used, we could send a small team of specialists to make sure everything runs in accordance to its established procedure.  

Once the area for deployment it’s been evaluated, everything is settled for rescue and relief teams in order to act. SITEC counts with emergency basic medical care and basic surgery units for survivors. It also enables communications, catering services with all its complements (trays, cutlery and lodging during emergency, reconstruction and recovery as long as it might take for patients as well as attached personnel). It can also provide housing, drinking and waste water container facilities, water distribution and pump auxiliary units, reverse osmosis modules, mobile water treatment, water tanks, heaters or air conditioners (depending on the needs) and waste burner containers. Lighting, laundry, bakery, dishwasher, fridge, field showers, toilets and cold store units can also be set up whatever the requirements of the mission might be.

Enabling communications

As part of our on field experience working with civilians under emergency conditions, in ARPA we found out that enabling communications was a very important part of a 360º tactic and strategic solution. It is essential to do it very fast within the first moments of confusion that follow a catastrophe. For survivors making a first call to get in touch with their families and tell them that they are fine and things are alright is a great relief for both parts involved. Therefore, we concluded that something had to be done in this area. So, we are currently working on a new solution that allows us to reestablish telephone communications always with a local operator.

Field hospitals

Let’s go back again to Nepal. The aftermath is outrageous: the loss of over 8.000 lives, 14.000 wounded people and more than half a million people forced to move out of their homes. The striking situation required, and unfortunately it still does, although world media have already stopped to pay attention to it, a global and strategic vision to handle all possible needs. In ARPA, every single time that there is a catastrophe, we react immediately. We know that we work on an international context, a globalized world, and, therefore, we are ready to get wherever our services might be required in no time. Actually, this means that with the years we have come up with an emergency standardized procedure that allows us to plan every single detail in a fast path. Nothing is left to improvisation.

As for Nepal, after studying all the information we received, as ARPA we knew that any field hospital required for the area might have been a very low weight facility, easy and fast to carry and to deploy by no qualified personnel. It might also need to be made in specific materials in order to resist Himalayan climatology, specifically the surroundings of the Langtang Valley and Katmandu.

We also previewed air transportation restrictions to get there due to the earthquake that had left inoperative landing and take over tracks. 

So, our engineers decided that the most reliable possibility to deliver any aid was a combination of sea and land transportation. Containers, in case we had to engage, will be sent by sea to an Indian harbor. From there they would be carried right to the damage area by truck. Since the whole operation would imply moving something heavier than just a few tents and light surgery material, logistical coordination was absolutely substantial in order to succeed.

Limited range of options

Having on account climatic and logistic restrictions, we came up with two options that could fit within the requirements. The first one, faster technically to be deployed, consisted of a container with our modular tent ALUARPA. This specific item is 2,200 meters high on the sides and enables to use all its floor room as a hospital facility. It also enabled to connect several tents to create a large Field Hospital with a main central corridor and clinical modules on both sides that could become of exceptionally useful for emergency cases. 

Its aluminium structure gives the tent a lighter weight, is easier to carry and deploy and it also allows larger configurations for long periods of time on duty.

On the other hand, our ARPA NM tent, those days, became a very good second option. There is a lot of room, always required in surgery, and is also vey handful medium term deployment.  It can be set up with polyester cotton.

No matter what the difficulties might be, we will always stand beside all those who commit to save and rescue other people’s lives.