Emergency Response Unit

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Officers of the Noblesville, Indiana, Police Department's Emergency Response Unit Noblesville elite police unit uses military facilities for training DVIDS281327.jpg
Officers of the Noblesville, Indiana, Police Department's Emergency Response Unit

An Emergency Response Unit is a name for a law enforcement or other civil government entity that is trained and equipped to respond quickly to emergency situations. In some instances, such a designation is given to a Special Weapons and Tactics unit, although it can also be used for units intended to respond to natural disasters and other situations not requiring the use of weaponry.

Law enforcement Enforcement of the law by some members of society

Law enforcement is any system by which some members of society act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. Although the term encompasses entities such as courts and Corrections, it is most frequently applied to those who directly engage in patrols or surveillance to dissuade and discover criminal activity, and those who investigate crimes and apprehend offenders, a task typically carried out by the police, [Sheriff] or another law enforcement organization. Furthermore, although law enforcement may be most concerned with the prevention and punishment of crimes, organizations exist to discourage a wide variety of non-criminal violations of rules and norms, effected through the imposition of less severe consequences.

Examples include:

Garda Emergency Response Unit government agency

The Emergency Response Unit (ERU) is the elite police tactical unit of the Garda Síochána, Ireland's national police and security service. The unit was a section of the forces' Special Detective Unit (SDU), under the Crime and Security Branch (CSB) until 2017, when the Special Tactics and Operational Command was created to take over its operational duties alongside Armed Support Units.

Emergency Response Unit (IFRC)

An Emergency Response Unit (ERU) is an international standardized disaster relief unit established by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. It can provide specific services where local infrastructure is damaged or temporarily out of use.

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies humanitarian organization

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is a worldwide humanitarian aid organization that reaches 160 million people each year through its 190-member National Societies. It acts before, during and after disasters and health emergencies to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people. It does so with impartiality as to nationality, race, gender, religious beliefs, class and political opinions.

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Counter-terrorism activity to defend against or prevent terrorist actions

Counter-terrorism, also known as antiterrorism, incorporates the practice, military tactics, techniques, and strategy that government, military, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or prevent terrorism. Counter-terrorism strategies include attempts to counter financing of terrorism.

Emergency service Organizations that ensure public safety and health by addressing different emergencies

Emergency services and rescue services are organizations which ensure public safety and health by addressing different emergencies. Some of these agencies exist solely for addressing certain types of emergencies whilst others deal with ad hoc emergencies as part of their normal responsibilities. Many of these agencies engage in community awareness and prevention programs to help the public avoid, detect, and report emergencies effectively.

SWAT A law enforcement unit which uses specialized or military equipment and tactics

In the United States, a SWAT team is a law enforcement unit which uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. First created in the 1960s to handle riot control or violent confrontations with criminals, the number and usage of SWAT teams increased in the 1980s and 1990s during the War on Drugs and later in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. In the United States as of 2005, SWAT teams were deployed 50,000 times every year, almost 80% of the time to serve search warrants, most often for narcotics. SWAT teams are increasingly equipped with military-type hardware and trained to deploy against threats of terrorism, for crowd control, hostage taking, and in situations beyond the capabilities of ordinary law enforcement, sometimes deemed "high-risk". Other countries have developed their own paramilitary police units (PPUs) which are also described as or comparable to SWAT forces.

Certified first responder profession

For the more current term, see Emergency medical responder

CBRN defense CBRN

Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense are protective measures taken in situations in which chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear warfare hazards may be present. CBRN defense consists of CBRN passive protection, contamination avoidance and CBRN mitigation.

Specialist Firearms Command Specialist Crime & Operations branch within Greater Londons Metropolitan Police Service

The Specialist Firearms Command (SCO19) is the firearms unit of the Metropolitan Police Service. The Command is responsible for providing a firearms-response capability, assisting the rest of the service which is not routinely armed.

Emergency Task Force (TPS)

The Emergency Task Force (ETF) is the tactical unit of the Toronto Police Service. Created in 1965, it is mandated to deal with high risk situations like hostage taking, emotionally disturbed persons, high risk arrests, warrant service, and protection details. The ETF mission profile also includes terrorism and counter-terrorism threats in some extreme cases.

Special Tasks and Rescue is the Police Tactical Group of the South Australia Police.

Special Operations Engineer Regiment (Australia) unit of the Australian Army

The Special Operations Engineer Regiment (SOER) is a specialised unit of the Australian Army. The Regiment forms part of the Special Operations Command. The unit was formed in 2002 as the Incident Response Regiment (IRR), they are deployed to respond to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive incidents. The Regiment was transferred into the newly raised Special Operations Command in 2003. In 2010 and 2011 its role changed to supporting the army's special forces units, and it was renamed accordingly.

State Protection Group

The State Protection Group (SPG) is part of the Specialist Operations division of the New South Wales Police Force, having been established in 1991 to deal with extraordinary policing responses. The SPG directly supports police in high-risk incidents such as sieges with specialised tactical, negotiation, intelligence and command-support services. The unit also provides rescue and bomb disposal support, canine policing, and armoury services.

Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) is the Police Tactical Group of the Queensland Police Service (QPS) and also provides a high angle rescue response. SERT provides the QPS with the ability to respond to high risk situations incidents statewide. SERT is based in Brisbane and Cairns to ensure that specialists capabilities are available to support police at any location in Queensland.

The Emergency Service Unit, also known as E.S.U., is the multi-faceted and multi-talented element within municipal, county, or state authority law enforcement agency’s Special Operations Command.

The Territory Response Group (TRG) is the Police Tactical Group of the Northern Territory Police Force. The TRG is tasked to provide general and specialist support to other units of the Northern Territory Police.

Until July 2012 the Specialist Response and Security Team (SRS) was a Police Tactical Group of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) having responsibility for tactical and specialist operations within the Australian Capital Territory. The Operational Response Group (ORG) had responsibility for AFP National and International tactical operations. In July 2012 the SRS was merged with the ORG to create the Specialist Response Group.

Police Tactical Group (PTG) is the generic term used to refer to highly trained Australian police tactical units that each State and Territory maintain to respond to and resolve high-risk incidents, including terrorist incidents. Police Tactical Groups are fundamental to the Federal government's National Counter-Terrorism Plan (NCTP) to respond to major terrorist incidents in Australia. The Plan initially developed in 1980, then known as the National Anti-Terrorism Plan, is overseen by the Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee (ANZCTC). The Plan requires each state and territory police to maintain a police tactical unit designated as a Police Tactical Group which is jointly funded by the federal government and the respective state or territory government.

An incident response team or emergency response team (ERT) is a group of people who prepare for and respond to any emergency incident, such as a natural disaster or an interruption of business operations. Incident response teams are common in public service organizations as well as in organizations. This team is generally composed of specific members designated before an incident occurs, although under certain circumstances the team may be an ad hoc group of willing volunteers.

The Westchester County Department of Public Safety was created in 1979 by merging the Westchester County Sheriff's Office with the Westchester County Parkway Police.

The Special Tactics Group (STG) is the full-time Police Tactical Unit of the New Zealand Police and is designated a Police tactical group by the Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee (ANZCTC). The STG, originally named the Anti-Terrorist Squad, was established to respond to high-risk situations which are beyond the scope or capacity of everyday policing. STG officers directly support operational police in incidents, such as sieges, with specialist tactical, negotiation, intelligence and command support services.

Emergency Response Unit (Cyprus)

The Emergency Response Unit (E.R.U) is a Unit of the Headquarters of Cyprus Police, the national police of the Republic of Cyprus. The mission and responsibilities of the Emergency Response Unit are closely interwoven with the security of the State, the maintenance of law and order and the provision of help and services to the public. The characteristic features of this Unit are discipline, training, team-work, team-spirit and thorough organisation. Its Commander is accountable to the Chief of Police through the Assistant Chief of Police in charge of Support.