The Emergency Military Unit ( es, Unidad Militar de Emergencias, UME; ) is a branch of the
Spanish Armed Forces responsible for providing disaster relief throughout Spain mainly, and abroad if required. It is the newest branch of the
Spanish Armed Forces.
History
The decision to create the Military Emergencies Unit was agreed upon at a
cabinet meeting
A cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the executive branch's top leaders. Members of a cabinet are usually called cabinet ministers or secretaries. The function of a cabinet varies: in some countrie ...
of the
Zapatero administration on October 7, 2005. This was enacted in law by the ''Real Decreto 416/2006'' (Royal Decree 416/2006) on April 11, 2006.
Missions
# Intervention during emergencies that have their origin in natural hazards; among these are floods, spill-overs, earthquakes, land slides, large snow storms and other adverse weather conditions.
# Intervention fighting forest fires.
# Intervention during emergencies derived from technological hazards; among which are chemical, nuclear, radiological and biological hazards
# Intervention during emergencies as a consequence of terrorist attacks or illicit or violent acts, including those acts against critical infrastructures, dangerous installations or with nuclear, biological, radiological or chemical agents.
# Intervention during situations of environmental contamination.
# Intervention during any other emergency deemed appropriate by the
Prime Minister of Spain
The prime minister of Spain, officially president of the Government ( es, link=no, Presidente del Gobierno), is the head of government of Spain. The office was established in its current form by the Constitution of 1978 and it was first regula ...
.
Chiefs
Organisation
The UME consists of Headquarters (, UCG), *five emergency intervention battalions (, BIEM),
* a support regiment (, RAEM),
* a communications battalion (, BTUME) and
* an aviation group (, AGRUMEDA)
Ranks
;Officers
;Enlisted
Gallery
File:Suzuki DRZ 400 S UME.JPG, Suzuki
is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs ...
DRZ 400 S
File:BMW R 1200 GS UME.JPG, BMW R1200GS
The BMW R1200GS and R1200GS Adventure are motorcycles manufactured in Berlin, Germany by BMW Motorrad, part of the BMW group. It is one of the BMW GS family of dual sport motorcycles. Both motorcycles have a , two-cylinder boxer engine with four ...
File:Aníbal UME.JPG, Santana Aníbal
File:Aníbal PM.JPG, Military police
Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear rec ...
vehicle
File:Aníbal Mérida.JPG, Communications vehicle ''Mérida''
File:Camioneta militar.jpg, URO VAMTAC
The URO VAMTAC () is a Spanish four-wheel drive military vehicle manufactured by UROVESA. Externally it is similar in appearance and design to the Humvee of the United States Military due to similar requirements. More than 2,000 of the vehicles hav ...
File:URO M3-24.14 UME.JPG, URO M3-24.14. based BFP 40-106 J-1884 firetruck
File:M-113 UME.JPG, M-113 APC
File:Un puesto móvil de mando de la Unidad Militar de Emergencias (UME) (15352038639).jpg, Mobile command center
File:Canadair CL-215 in Spanish service 4316.jpg, Canadair CL-215T
File:UME - Eurocopter EC-135T-2.jpg, Eurocopter EC135T-2
See also
*
2011 Lorca earthquake
*
Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Emergencies
The Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Emergencies (DGPCE) is a component of the Spain, Spanish Ministry of the Interior (Spain), Department of the Interior responsible for promoting, planning and coordinating the various actors involved ...
References
External links
Official website
{{FFAA España
Military of Spain
Military units and formations established in 2006
Emergency management in Spain
Military operations other than war