June's International Response training weekend round-up, brought to you by Serve On volunteer Pete...

A small team of Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) technicians represented Serve On last weekend at an international disaster response training exercise based in Soverato, Italy. Planned and led by search and rescue organisation Gruppo Edelweiss, the exercise formed part of Serve On's ongoing work efforts to achieve International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) accreditation, a commitment which ultimately leads to United Nations recognition. The exercise was attended b

Serve On volunteers completed an intensive missing‑person search course last weekend at the Outreach Rescue Centre, delivered by L&MPS International.

Serve On hosted a highly successful fundraising dinner at the prestigious Cavalry & Guards Club in London on 20 May 2026, bringing together more than 100 supporters, sponsors, veterans, business leaders and friends of the charity for an inspiring evening dedicated to supporting volunteer emergency response operations in the UK and overseas

Serve On explored tech, robotics and AI in the emergency response sector at an in-depth, hands-on event. Gavin Johnson talks us through the day...

A summary of each International Response Team training weekend will be brought to you by one of the trainees. For May, Henry MacPherson offered his thoughts...

A Case Study in Rapid Humanitarian Response Impact of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake. A 7.0 Magnitude Quake struck near Port-au-Prince 3,500,000 people were affected by the quake 220,000 people are estimated to have died 300,000+ people were injured Over 188,383 houses were severely damaged and 105,000 were destroyed by the earthquake (293,383 in total), and 1.5 million people became homeless. After the quake, there were 19 million cubic metres of rubble and debris in Port au

September 8th, 2023 - A story of resilience, adaptation, and the power of refusing to give up. At 11:11 PM on a quiet September evening, families across Morocco's High Atlas Mountains prepare for sleep. The earth beneath them shook with devastating force. A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Al Haouz, just 70 kilometres from Marrakech. It took nearly 3,000 lives and left whole communities in ruins. For the Imazighen - Morocco's indigenous Berber people who call these mountains h

From February 13–15 2026, SERVE ON delivered its latest International Response Team (IRT) Selection Weekend, a demanding and carefully designed process to identify volunteers capable of deploying to disaster zones in the UK and overseas. Selection weekend is intentionally challenging. Candidates are placed into a realistic disaster scenario and assessed across a series of evolving tasks designed to test resilience, teamwork, leadership, emotional intelligence, and the ability

On Saturday 7th February 2026, Dorset Fire and Rescue Service led a large scale flood response exercise in Bradford-on-Avon, bringing together multiple agencies to test operational readiness and inter-agency coordination. The exercise aimed to simulate mass flooding and assess how teams respond safely and effectively in challenging conditions. Volunteers and professional responders from WILSAR, DORSAR, Wessex Rescue, Serve On, and other organisations took part, working alongs

Serve On's Flood Rescue Team has been formally confirmed as fully compliant with DEFRA standards following a recent external audit. The independent review visited operational procedures, training, equipment, documentation, and our overall readiness and capacity to respond to flooding incidents. No actions were required, meaning our team aligns with national best practice and meets the highest standard of safety, effectiveness and professionalism. This is a significant milesto

At 4:17 a.m., while people slept in their beds, a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck southern Türkiye. A second quake, measuring 7.6, followed nine hours later. These powerful tremors, described as the “disaster of the century,” caused catastrophic destruction. More than 53,500 people lost their lives, over 107,000 were injured, and around 3 million were displaced from the affected regions to other parts of Türkiye. Within hours of the first earthquake, Serve On sent

Serve On’s small but highly skilled International Response Team was one of the first outside aid agencies on the ground, able to mobilise quickly while larger teams were still assembling their resources, unable to access the country because of the logistical chaos.

The assessment confirmed the worst. A total 'pancake' collapse had flattened made the 12-story building, covering an area the size of a football field.

Rising water levels placed significant pressure on emergency services and local resilience networks as they worked tirelessly to protect residents and property.

Serve On was asked to deploy water rescue and community support assets across Cumbria and North Yorkshire – including in Tadcaster, where Tadcaster Bridge collapsed causing mass disruption.