Military Emergencies Unit

Military Emergencies Unit
Active 11 April 2006 – present
Country Spain
Allegiance King Felipe VI
Branch Spanish Armed Forces
Role Emergency management
Size 3,987 (2008)
Part of Ministry of Defence
Headquarters Torrejón Air Base
Motto(s) Para servir (To serve)
Colors Yellow     
March "Himno UME"
Anniversaries October 7
Website www.mde.es/ume
Commanders
Commander in Chief King Felipe VI
Unit Commander Lt General José Emilio Roldán Pascual
Aircraft flown
Bomber Canadair CL-215
Utility helicopter Eurocopter EC135
Transport Eurocopter AS532 Cougar

The Military Emergencies Unit (Spanish: Unidad Militar de Emergencias, UME; IPA: [uniˈðað miliˈtar ðe emerˈxenθjas]) 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 of the Zapatero administration on October 7, 2005.[1] This was enacted in law by the Real Decreto 416/2006 (Royal Decree 416/2006) on April 11, 2006.[2]

Missions

  1. 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.
  2. Intervention fighting forest fires.
  3. Intervention during emergencies derived from technological hazards; among which are chemical, nuclear, radiological and biological hazards
  4. 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.
  5. Intervention during situations of environmental contamination.
  6. Intervention during any other emergency deemed appropriate by the Prime Minister of Spain.

Organisation

The UME consists of Headquarters (Unidad de Cuartel General, UCG), five emergency intervention battalions (Batallon de Intervención en Emergencias, BIEM), a support regiment (Regimiento de Apoyo a Emergencias, RAEM) and an aerial group (Agrupación de Medios Aéreos, AGRUMEDA)

Name Headquarters Areas Served
BIEM I Torrejón de Ardoz Air Base Ávila, Segovia, Madrid, Cáceres, Guadalajara, Cuenca, Ciudad Real, Toledo, Cáceres
BIEM II Morón Air Base Badajoz, Huelva, Sevilla, Cádiz, Málaga, Córdoba, Jaén, Granada, Jaén, Ceuta, Melilla, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, La Gomera, El Hierro, Lanzarote, La Palma, Tenerife
BIEM III Bétera Albacete, Murcia, Alicante, Valencia, Castellón, Balearic Islands
BIEM IV Zaragoza Air Base Biscay, Guipúzcoa, Álava, La Rioja, Soria, Navarre, Zaragoza, Huesca, Teruel, Lleida, Tarragona, Barcelona, Girona
BIEM V San Andrés del Rabanedo Pontevedra, A Coruña, Lugo, Ourense, Asturias, Cantabria, León, Zamora, Salamanca, Valladolid, Palencia, Burgos
Name Headquarters
UCG Torrejón de Ardoz Air Base
RAEM
AGRUMEDA

See also

References

  1. ↑ "RESOLUCIÓN de 19 de enero de 2006, de la Subsecretaría, por la que se da publicidad al Acuerdo de Consejo de Ministros por el que se crea la Unidad Militar de Emergencias (UME).". Boletín Oficial del Estado.
  2. ↑ "Real Decreto 416/2006, de 11 de abril, por el que se establece la organización y el despliegue de la Fuerza del Ejército de Tierra, de la Armada y del Ejército del Aire, así como de la Unidad Militar de Emergencias.". Boletín Oficial del Estado.
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