Ground coordinator – effective smaller operations
As we have said, a good ground coordinator makes a helicopter more effective in relief operations. It’s not a job for the faint-hearted.
It is a skilled job…
You need to move cargo. You need be strong. Courage is helpful! You can see why! It is best if you are a logistician.
With under-slung loads it isn’t just getting one ready. It is organising people to produce many loads. Organising a sequence of loads. Regularly.
In the response to Cyclone IDAI, one Mercy Air helicopter delivered 40 tonnes of under slung loads in a day. That is 50 loads in a day!
You need skills.
You attend key meetings…
Coordination requires cooperation. There is no point having a highly skilled logistician, if they can’t work with other people.
The head of the logistics cluster is the chair of the planning meeting. In a small operation that is the government representative. So we need local language skills to make things flow well.
The result is a balanced set of flying tasks for the next day. There are tasks that meet the needs of the operation. We see tasks that meet the needs of the donors. Pictures and video show the mission is being successful.
Help us to fund this key role. Why not donate now?
All the air operations we have spoken of may be in the mix.
We call it a mix because the ground coordinator makes choices. He or she receives the strategic demands of the government and UN. Also they hear the earnest desire of the pilots to rescue or feed people. They hear the safety needs of the mission. Then they set all of those against the wishes of the donors. And they find a balance, so that there are good answers for everyone.
You can help fund the next ground coordinator. You can make a difference!
Ask us about this key role. We have been building these skills over 12 years. Have a look at our annual reports. And contact us.
Or donate now. Thank you.
