Case Study
Morocco Earthquake support with Holkirk Scorpion Lite
A devastating earthquake struck near the town of Oukaïmeden in western Morocco on September 8, 2023..
The earthquake heavily damaged parts of the ancient section of Marrakech and devastated several remote settlements in the Atlas Mountains. It was felt as far away as Casablanca, Morocco’s largest city, and in both Portugal and Algeria.
UK-ISAR is part of the National Fire Chiefs Council’s (NFCC) National Resilience Work and is on permanent standby to mobilize and assist when requested by disaster-affected countries.
Time line for events:
- 8th September – Earthquake struck Morocco (Friday)
- 9th September – We deployed Scorpion-lite to UK-ISAR (West Midlands, UK)
- 10th September- UK-ISAR team deployed to Morocco
- 11th September – UK-ISAR headed to the base camp to start the rescue and set up comms network
We deployed the Scorpion-lite on INTELSAT FlexMove because the first responder team did not have extensive satcom experience and needed a system that was easy to set up and get online with a fast IP connection for critical comms and welfare at the best value. All this with our world-wide 24/7 service and support.
The Scorpion-Lite allowed the un-trained user to deploy into a new beam that could have been anywhere in the world.
The antenna pointing angles are calculated and displayed with real time cross-hair positioning
Modem is set automatically set for the correct network with Simple pointing and network acquisition.
Seven members of West Midlands Fire Service were among some 60 fire and rescue service personnel deployed after the offer of help from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was accepted by Morocco on Sunday 10 September.
The team landed at Gatwick Airport at around 3pm on Tuesday (19 September). They were welcomed back by WMFS’s Chief Fire Officer Wayne Brown at Bickenhill Fire Station.
Date: September 8th 2023
Client: Major UK International Search and Rescue (UKISAR)
Pictures from Morocco
