What SARAID does

SARAID (Search and Rescue Assistance in Disasters) is a UK-based Charitable Incorporated Organisation (registered charity 1199047) that deploys volunteer Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams internationally in response to natural disasters. It is the first and only UK voluntary team — and the third worldwide — to be officially classified by the United Nations INSARAG as a Light USAR team, a status it earned in September 2022 after eight years of preparation and a successful IEC exercise covering 157 assessment areas. The organisation is staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers (21 listed team members) drawn from emergency management, engineering, paramedicine, and specialist rescue backgrounds, and operates 24/7/365 with two-week self-sufficient deployment capability. Its core technology consists of specialist USAR equipment (Delsar seismic sensors, FL360, SearchCam 2000, SearchCam Recon, First Look 360 cameras, Makita cutting tools, MSA safety gear) and the INSARAG Coordination and Management System (ICMS/ArchGIS) for field information management, with Wi-Fi coordination support via Jangala-supplied Big Box and Get Box hubs.

SARAID generates no commercial revenue: services are provided free of charge to any country that requests assistance, and the organisation is funded entirely by individual donations (JustGiving, PayPal, Gift Aid-eligible) and corporate sponsorships from equipment suppliers such as Makita UK, Agility Technologies Corp, Savox Communications, and MSA. Its go-to-market is event-driven, activating when UN GDACS alerts fire or when affected governments formally request support, supplemented by a community-led growth motion via the ambassador programme and ongoing Trainee Technician, Structural Engineer, and Medic recruitment. Beyond direct deployment, SARAID runs the SMART training programme in partnership with Nepal Scouts to build local disaster-response capacity, and it is a shortlisted finalist for the 2025 Global Search & Rescue Excellence Awards "Team of The Year" category.

Name

SARAID

Legal name

Search and Rescue Assistance in Disasters

Website

https://saraid.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SARAID is a UK-based volunteer charity (registered charity 1199047) that deploys internationally as the only UK voluntary UN INSARAG-classified Light USAR team, providing free search-and-rescue response to countries affected by earthquakes, tsunamis, and other disasters, funded entirely by donations and corporate sponsorship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disaster Response Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disaster Response & Search and Rescue (SAR) (BPADADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Emergency Response & Search-and-Rescue (SAR) (BPAGAAAA), Search & Rescue (Urban/Water/Wilderness) Coordination (HLAJAGAJ), Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs (HLAJAKAE)

Keywords

• International search and rescue
• Urban search and rescue
• Disaster response services
• Emergency rescue services
• Humanitarian disaster relief

Headquarters

HQ city

Yate

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Donations: SARAID is an independent charity receiving no government funding and relies solely on donations from supporters. Donations can be one-off or regular giving via JustGiving and PayPal platforms. UK taxpayers can also Gift Aid donations.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Support from commercial companies for equipment and supplies. Companies such as Makita UK, Agility Technologies Corp, Savox Communications, MSA, and others have provided equipment support.
3. Fundraising Campaigns: Campaign-based fundraising for specific deployments (e.g., Turkey earthquake response) and general operations through JustGiving platform.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SARAID is a UK-based charitable organisation that deploys an international volunteer Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team to natural disaster zones worldwide. The team, UN INSARAG-classified as a Light USAR team, is self-sufficient for up to two weeks and provides search, rescue, medical, structural assessment and coordination services in response to earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides and extreme weather events. The organisation also delivers training and capacity-building programmes such as SMART to local communities in disaster-prone regions.

Product overview

SARAID (Search and Rescue Assistance in Disasters) is a UK-based charitable organisation providing humanitarian disaster response services, not a software product company. Its core offering is a unified volunteer-based International Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team, classified by the UN INSARAG as a Light USAR team—the first and only voluntary team in the UK, and only the third worldwide to achieve this classification. The service portfolio includes deployable search and rescue operations (self-sufficient for up to two weeks), the SMART training programme for community capacity building in Nepal, and coordination support using specialist communication equipment. The INSARAG Coordination and Management System (ICMS) using ArchGIS applications supports operational data management during deployments. SARAID recruits and trains volunteers (Technicians, Structural Engineers, Medics) through an 18-24 month programme culminating in UN INSARAG operational assessment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• International Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team Deployable search and rescue team classified by the UN INSARAG as a Light USAR team, capable of responding to natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis and landslides worldwide. The team operates 24/7, 365 days a year and is self-sufficient for up to two weeks, providing search, rescue, medical, structural assessment and coordination services.
• SMART Training Programme Community-based training programme developed by SARAID in collaboration with Nepal Scouts to build local disaster response capacity and resilience in communities, particularly in Nepal, enabling them to manage the initial 24 hours of a disaster before international teams arrive.
• Disaster Coordination Support
• UK Domestic Disaster Response

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully passed UN INSARAG External Classification (IEC) exercise across 157 assessment areas
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• JangalacoreTechnology or IntegrationUK not-for-profit organisation specialising in supplying internet access to people in need. Jangala has supplied SARAID with 'Big Box' Wi-Fi hubs (briefcase-sized devices providing Wi-Fi for up to 100 users) and 'Get Box' units (smaller family-sized hubs for 10 users). The team will trial these devices to help coordinate disaster response efforts in the field.
• @fire International Disaster Response GermanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman non-profit, non-governmental organisation. First INSARAG classified Light USAR Team in the world. Provided support during SARAID's IEC exercise, including setting up the Reception and Departure Centre. Collaborated during Turkey 2023 deployment, jointly rescuing a mother and child from collapsed building.
• AKUT Search and Rescue Association TurkeymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTurkish search and rescue organisation that served as SARAID's official mentor throughout the 8-year preparation and planning phase leading to INSARAG classification. Guided and advised the team throughout planning, preparation, and operational phases.
• Avon Fire & Rescue ServicesupportingOthersLocal fire and rescue service in Bristol area. Provided support and facilities including use of Yate Fire Station as team base and equipment store.
• South Central Ambulance Trust HARTsupportingOthersAmbulance service providing Hazardous Area Response Team support. Contributed to training and operational capabilities.
• Fire Service College Moreton-in-MarshsupportingOthersTraining facility used for IEC exercise. The RIG5 training structure was used as the simulated collapsed hotel scenario.
• Makita UKsupportingOthersPower tool manufacturer supplying equipment including disc cutters and demolition drills used for breaching and breaking reinforced concrete during rescue operations.
• Agility Technologies CorpsupportingOthersEquipment supplier supporting SARAID's operational capabilities.
• Savox CommunicationssupportingOthersCommunications equipment supplier for rescue operations.
• MSAsupportingOthersSafety equipment manufacturer providing equipment for rescue operations.
• Trinity EnvironmentalsupportingOthersEnvironmental services company supporting SARAID operations.
• Avon Valley MediasupportingOthersWeb design agency that designed SARAID's website. Provided media and production support.
• Nepal ScoutsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal organisation in Nepal that was helping with earthquake relief efforts. SARAID returned twice to Nepal in 2015 to assist in conducting further training and capacity building, leading to the development of the SMART programme.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Broad incumbents

• International Medical Corps: Global humanitarian organization providing emergency medical response and training in disaster and conflict settings. Operates in the same deployment theatres with overlapping emergency medical capabilities, though at substantially larger scale and broader scope.
• British Red Cross: The UK's largest humanitarian aid organization, providing disaster response, emergency relief, and humanitarian support as part of the global Red Cross movement. Significantly larger and broader in scope, but competes for the same pool of UK disaster-response donors and corporate partners.
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): World's largest humanitarian network that coordinates international disaster response and INSARAG parent body's civil-military coordination. Operates the global INSARAG framework under which SARAID is classified, making it the regulatory and operational ecosystem that SARAID works within.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): International medical humanitarian organization that deploys emergency medical teams to disaster and conflict zones. Operates in the same disaster response theatres (Turkey, Nepal, Myanmar) as SARAID, with overlapping medical capabilities though at vastly larger scale and with broader scope.

Emerging players

• RedR UK: UK-based humanitarian charity that trains and deploys technical professionals to disaster zones. Shares a similar UK base, volunteer-skilled-audience target donor base, and focus on capacity building, though RedR is a training provider rather than an operational rescue team.
• ShelterBox: UK-based international disaster relief charity that provides emergency shelter and essential supplies to families displaced by disasters. Comparable in scale, donor-driven funding model, and focus on rapid disaster response, though ShelterBox delivers material aid rather than active rescue services.

Direct peers

• AKUT Search and Rescue Association: Turkish volunteer search and rescue organization that served as SARAID's official mentor throughout the 8-year preparation leading to INSARAG classification. Operates an almost identical volunteer-led USAR model with similar disaster activation triggers.
• @fire International Disaster Response Germany: German non-profit disaster response organization and the first INSARAG-classified Light USAR team worldwide. SARAID explicitly worked alongside @fire during the Turkey 2023 earthquake deployment, jointly rescuing a mother and child from collapsed rubble, making it the most direct operational peer.
• UK International Search and Rescue (UKISAR): UK government-funded USAR team also classified under UN INSARAG. While state-funded rather than voluntary, UKISAR is the closest UK-based counterpart and represents the primary alternative channel for UK international disaster response.
• Team Rubicon UK: UK-registered volunteer disaster response charity that uses a similar veteran-led volunteer model to deliver emergency response globally. Comparable in scale, mission, and community-led GTM, though focused on post-disaster relief rather than active search and rescue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/team_saraid
• Facebookfacebook.com/saraiduk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saraid

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SARAID