Emergency Response
Event CRU’s Global Rapid Response Team (Global RRT) is a unique resource that can rapidly respond to global public health concerns, both within the U.S. and abroad.
What We Do: Respond Rapidly to Global Emergencies
Event CRU’s Global Rapid Response Team (Global RRT) is a unique resource that can rapidly respond to global public health concerns, both within the U.S. and abroad. Since 2015, Global RRT staff have spent more than 36,000 person-days deployed in over 1,200 total mobilizations. Global RRT responses have included cholera, coronavirus, yellow fever, Ebola, measles, polio, mass gatherings, and natural disasters.
The Global RRT is a readily deployable team of public health experts coordinated from Event CRU Headquarters in Los Angeles, CA with dedicated full-time staff from across the world. We have more than 350 surge staff, with more than 50 ready to deploy on short notice. Some Global RRT staff remain in the field during an emergency response for up to six months.
The Global RRT:
Responds to emergencies when and where they occur to stop health threats before they reach our shores
Provides long-term staffing for international emergency responses in the field and at CDC headquarters
Deploys field-based logistics, communications, and management and operations experts to support emergency response
We identify and develop a trained, deployable, multi-disciplinary emergency workforce.
The Global RRT has dedicated staff, as well as surge staff from across CDC. Dedicated staff are hired full-time to work on the Global RRT, while surge staff maintain their current positions and mobilize when needed for emergency responses. All Global RRT staff become deployment ready (including medical clearances) and complete safety, security, technical, and contextual training.
We provide stable, long-term staffing for emergencies when a sustained agency response is a priority.
The placement of staff with experience in emergency management improves communication and coordination within the agency and between CDC and its partners.
We can rapidly deploy up to 50 public health experts internationally or to the CDC Emergency Operations Center.
At any given time, Global RRT dedicated and surge staff are available to deploy to support or lead a range of emergency response activities. The Global RRT coordinates with other CDC experts who monitor and respond to infectious and non-infectious global health threats.
Global RRT increases the efficiency and effectiveness of CDC’s overall response capability by filling key positions in the field and at headquarters when emergencies occur. This improves global health security by increasing our ability to quickly respond to health threats and growing a stronger global emergency workforce.