The Disaster Assistance Response Team

The Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) is a multidisciplinary military organization designed to deploy on short notice anywhere in the world in response to situations ranging from natural disasters to complex humanitarian emergencies.

The DART is equipped to conduct humanitarian and disaster-relief operations for up to 40 days to bridge the gap until national and international aid agencies arrive to provide long-term help. A flexible package of capabilities, the DART can deploy some or all of its 200 personnel as the situation demands.

Around the world, many governmental and non-governmental organizations deliver expert humanitarian aid programs and services. The DART does not compete with these organizations; it complements their activities.

Concept of operations

The DART deploys only to “permissive” environments — that is, only to regions where the government supports its presence and it will not face organized resistance to its operations.

DART responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of the DART are:

• To stabilize the primary effects of the disaster in co-operation with national and regional governments and non-governmental agencies;
• To prevent rapid onset of the secondary effects of the disaster; and
• To gain time for national and international humanitarian aid organizations to deploy to the affected area and prepare to deliver long-term recovery programs.

The DART focuses on two critical needs:

• Primary medical care; and
• Production of safe drinking water.

Initiating a DART mission

The DART deploys outside Canada only in response to a formal request for its services either from the affected country or from an international organization such as the United Nations.

The Government of Canada bases its decisions on deploying the DART on advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the Canadian International Development Agency, as well as the Department of National Defence.

Most of the DART’s equipment is kept ready to go at 8 Wing Trenton, Ontario. DART personnel, who belong to Canadian Forces units across Canada, train together regularly and keep themselves ready to mobilize quickly when called for a deployment.

DART composition

The DART has the following main elements:

• DART Headquarters (42 CF members): Drawn mostly from the 1st Canadian Division Headquarters and the Canadian Forces Joint Signal Regiment in Kingston, Ontario, DART HQ (with 27 CF members) is the link to the governments of Canada and the host nation, and to partner organizations such as the U.N. and non-governmental humanitarian aid agencies. Under the direction of the Commanding Officer, DART HQ is responsible for determining and co-ordinating all the unit’s work in the theatre of operations. DART HQ is supported directly by a Military Police Section of two CF members and a Signals Troop of 13 CF members.
• DART Company Headquarters (10 CF members): “DART Company” is the main body of the DART, comprising Engineer Troop, Medical Platoon, Logistics Platoon and Defence & Security Platoon. DART Coy HQ provides command and control for its sub-units and sets their tasking priorities; it also provides a separate command team that can direct a split operation if required.
• Engineer Troop (42 CF members): Engineer Troop includes both field engineers (in Water Supply Section, Heavy Equipment Section and Field Engineering Section) and construction engineers, to provide limited utilities and vertical construction services. With its Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit (ROWPU), Water Supply Section can produce up to 50,000 litres per day of safe drinking water, provided in bulk to the medical aid station and in bags for distribution to local residents. Once the DART camp is established, the other sections of Engineer Troop undertake other basic construction and engineer tasks required to support humanitarian aid operations.
• Medical Platoon (45 CF members): The members of Medical Platoon operate a medical aid station, a small tented facility offering laboratory, pharmacy, rehydration, preventive medicine and limited obstetrics services. It does not provide surgical or trauma care services. The health care centre can serve 250 to 300 outpatients and 10 inpatients per day, depending on their needs.
• Logistics Platoon (22 CF members): Logistics Platoon provides the DART with almost all its support and sustainment services, such as transport, equipment and vehicle maintenance, and supply.
• Defence and Security Platoon (44 CF members): Defence and Security Platoon is the DART’s source of security and general labour services.

Background

DART origins

The origins of the DART lie in Operation PASSAGE, the 1994 deployment of 2 Field Ambulance from Petawawa, Ontario, to Rwanda, where hundreds of thousands of people living in refugee camps faced an outbreak of cholera. Despite the best efforts of all concerned, the medical contingent did not arrive until after the epidemic had passed its peak. Consequently, the Canadian government recognized the need for a rapid-response capability to provide effective humanitarian aid.

DART deployments to date

• Operation HESTIA (13 January–31 March 2010) in Haiti
• Operation PLATEAU (11 October–1 December 2005) in Pakistan
• Operation STRUCTURE (30 December 2004–19 February 2005) in Sri Lanka
• Operation TORRENT (24 August–25 September 1999) in Turkey
• Operation CENTRAL (November–December 1998) in Honduras