The Grangemouth-based organisation received a "wake-up call" when members realised the charity would become bankrupt if they flew out to
Haiti to help in the aftermath of the recent earthquake.

The independent, United Nations-registered rescue service has operated
in disaster areas around the world since 1981.

But last week IRC members were forced to deal with the stark realities of low funds and the limitations it placed on them.

Due to lack of cash and travel complications involving out of date Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) details, the IRC – for the first time in its history – had to make a purely business-based decision not to attend a disaster.

Operational directot Willie McMartin said: "It was a complicated decision and one that just wasn't all about the money – although that was a big part of it. We certainly hope it's just a hiccup.

"Talk about a wake-up call. We realised we were sitting there making a business decision where your head rules your heart. For the last 29 years we have been able to just turn around and go out to these disasters.

"Even if you only save one person's life, it's worthwhile. We've always had a tight budget, but we've never had to stop and think if we could actually afford to go out to these places.

"We had one guy in tears – he couldn't believe we weren't going out to help. We sat up all night trying to find ways we could do it."

The IRC had just £30,000 left in the bank and the rescue mission to Haiti would have cost at least £35,000.

"It wasn't impossible," said Willie. "Nothing is ever impossible. We did try to see if we could find a way around it. We had been in Indonesia a couple of months before and it had cost us £40,000 –
£30,000 just for flights out there.

"We rely on people giving donations, but, for whatever reason, after Indonesia that didn't happen. We have also had an economic downturn and a lot of airlines who would have helped us out with subsidised travel 20 years ago can't do that now.

"When you put it all together, it meant we just couldn't go."

Back in 1985, IRC went to Mexico City to help authorities in the aftermath of an earthquake and then went to Columbia two months later to help after a volcano struck. Funds were not a consideration then – even when they were not available.

Willie said: "Members used their credit cards, chipping in £500 each. We would get the cash to go out there, help any way we could, and worry about the money afterwards. You can't do that nowadays.

"We used to have to keep around £70,000 in the bank to allow us to go overseas – that used to fund at least two full missions. Now we would have to think about having at least £110,000 or £120,000 to allow us to do that."

IRC has 150 members, 40 who are on standby to go out to disasters. All volunteers, they come from various backgrounds – John Anderson is a mechanical fitter by trade, but his role with IRC has seen him travel to disaster areas in Africa, South America, Japan and India over the last 20 years.

John told The Falkirk Herald: "I enjoy being part of the team effort – it's just like a family. I've worked with these people for so long. The locals think you can work miracles when you go in as part of a rescue team, but you can't.

"You're only there to help and to try to do your best."

The future may be uncertain for IRC at the moment, but volunteers like
John and Willie are committed to the cause.

Willie said: "We are just going to have to be more selective in the missions we go on. If the money isn't there in the bank we are going to have to sit and think about that instead of just heading out and helping.

"We don't really get any support from other organisations – we get an office from Falkirk Council, but that's as far as support from the government goes. We don't get Lottery grants other charities and groups tend to get."

IRC is now looking at alternative ways of raising money to allow it to get back doing what it does best.

"We have already set up a training company to give others the benefit of our rescue work experience. A lot of other charities have gone down that route," said Willie.