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Contact The INSARAG Community Responder Training (CRT) was developed to provide guidance and training for first aiders on community level. Analysis of earthquakes have shown that the majority of successful rescues are done within the first hours by civilians – neighbors and family members – long before professional help can arrive. Thus, the CRT aims to build and develop local capacities within civil society to respond to incidents in areas where no organized USAR teams are (yet) present. In 2023 the ISG endorsed the Community Responder Training Package (back then under the name “First Responder Training 2.0”). The training covers the complete theoretical and practical standard curriculum of the INSARAG, focusing on disaster assessment and information gathering, formation of responder teams, task allocation within the teams, simple search and rescue operations, basic medical care, and reporting.
The Kurdistan Region of Iraq was one of five countries that has implemented the INSARAG Community Responder Training. An essential success factor is the careful localization of the training. Local trainers adapt the standardized content to the community-specific conditions—whether it is the local earthquake risk, typical types of disasters, regional building styles, or real examples from the area. This practical approach ensures that participants better understand the content and can directly apply the exercises in their daily lives.
From October 13 to 16, 2025, the Joint Crisis Coordination Center (JCC) held the Community Responder Training Week for the second time in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq with the support by the German Agency for Technical Relief (THW). During this event, five CRT courses took place simultaneously across the entire Kurdistan Region of Iraq. A total of 125 participants from civil society, including teachers, volunteers, and agency staff, were trained in Erbil, Sulaymaniah, Halabja, Dohuk, and Raparin. Already in November 2024, the training was conducted simultaneously at five locations in the region.
The training is fully organized and conducted by JCC. THW provides administrative support and, together with a representative from the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, officially launched the event digitally. The training was mainly conducted by JCC master trainers supported by THW staff, who took part in the test-run of the CRT by THW in 2023 in Wesel, Germany. JCC has proven outstanding commitment furthering the trainings. Looking back, THW supported JCC conducting 43 Community Responder Trainings in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Up to today, around 1.000 Community Responders have been trained.
The Community Responder Training is a significant step toward better preparing the local population for potential crises, especially earthquakes. It is crucial for the protection and safety – not only of the communities in the Kurdistan Region Iraq. The CRT package can be downloaded here.