We are very different than you expect. There is nothing usual or routine for us. My name is Doug Copp, I am the rescue chief of the American Rescue Team International. At a collapsed gold mine in the Peruvian Andes, Copp watches with the Vice President of Peru, President Fujimori, members of his cabinet and Peruvian Army personnel as ARTI member Otto Lukac demonstrates ARTI technology used in rescue operations. We are busy.
Time is our most valuable commodity.
At a disaster, every minute means a life and every mistake a death. We go days without sleep, and sometimes actually nap or sleep on the rubble to avoid wasting commute time. I founded ARTI after I returned from the Mexico City earthquake in 1985. We were originally called Earthquake Preparedness and Rescue of California. Now we are known, around the globe, as the American Rescue Team International.