Synopsis

The Military Emergencies Unit (Unidad Militar de Emergencias, UME) is a branch of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for providing disaster relief and emergency management. They’re part of NATO within the framework of NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre, or EADRCC. The Unit includes a canine team of specially trained search and rescue dogs to support in the recovery of casualties. In this clip, Private Rubén Suárez Valbuena, a dog handler with his dog Phantom, will show us what he carries in his backpack. The contents are specifically selected to enable him and the dog to deploy to natural disaster zones, such as floods, earthquakes, landslides, snow drifts, avalanches and other adverse meteorological phenomena, but also terrorist attacks, dangerous facilities, or nuclear, biological or chemical agents -- mainly in Spain but also abroad if needed. Filmed in northern Spain at the base of one of the emergency intervention battalions (Batallon de Intervención en Emergencias V or BIEM V), footage includes Private Rubén Suárez Valbuena and his dog Phantom, showing what he carries in his backpack.

Teaser

The Spanish Military Emergencies Unit includes a canine team of specially trained search and rescue dogs. So what does a Spanish dog handler carry in his pack to deploy to a disaster zone?

Transcript

Shot of Private Rubén Suárez Valbuena with his backpack and his dog Phantom. TEXT ON SCREEN: WHAT’S IN YOUR KIT? ON SCREEN GRAPHIC: Private Rubén Suárez Valbuena, Dog handler, Spanish Military Emergencies Unit --SOUNDBITE—(SPANISH) WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES “This is what a dog handler of the Military Emergencies Unit carries in his backpack.” TEXT ON SCREEN: #1 CHANGE OF CLOTHES #2 FOLDABLE SHOVEL #3 WATERPROOF TROUSERS #4 INFLATABLE PILLOW #5 HEADLAMP #6 SAFETY GOGGLES #7 DOG TOYS #8 MUZZLE #9 PORTABLE DOG DRINKER #10 DOG COLLAR #11 DOG BRUSH #12 HIGH-VISIBILITY VEST 12 ITEMS ~ 25 KG Private Rubén Suárez Valbuena with his backpack and his dog Phantom running. GRAPHIC #WEARENATO