Mission
The Groupe de Secours Catastrophe Français (GSCF) is an international solidarity organization (ISO), founded in 1999 by committed firefighters — professionals, volunteers or from the military — with a clear mission: to intervene quickly and effectively where every minute counts.
A story of commitment
In 1988 , at the age of 18 , Thierry Velu , a firefighter at the time, was sent to Armenia to participate in search and rescue operations after an earthquake. Ten years later, this experience took shape with the founding of the GSCF in 1999.
Their mission is:
- Acting in the first hours following a disaster
- Mobilizing concrete resources to save lives
- To provide technical and human assistance on the ground
The GSCF operates with complete independence, outside the UN's INSARAG framework , and thus retains essential strategic flexibility. Our teams combine international compliance with freedom of action.
Their team comprises of:
- USAR (Search and Rescue) Specialists
- Unique humanitarian logistics reserve in France
- Air mobilization possible in less than 3 hours
The president of the GSCF, Thierry Velu, has published several reference works on interventions in major crises, based on his humanitarian experience.
Voluntary Commitments
The Sendai Framework Voluntary Commitments (SFVC) online platform allows stakeholders to inform the public about their work on DRR. The SFVC online platform is a useful toolto know who is doing what and where for the implementation of the Sendai Framework, which could foster potential collaboration among stakeholders. All stakeholders (private sector, civil society organizations, academia, media, local governments, etc.) working on DRR can submit their commitments and report on their progress and deliverables.