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Turkey earthquake, Atlas Logistique deployment | © HI/Atlas
Interview with Jérôme Bertrand, deployment unit manager at HI/Atlas Logistique
Before a plane even takes off or the first aid package reaches its destination, a humanitarian deployment is already in motion. It begins well in advance, is built through networks, sometimes requires improvisation, and always relies on people who can stay calm during chaos.
That’s the role of the deployment teams at Atlas Logistique, the technical-operational unit of Handicap International specialising in humanitarian logistics and transport. These are experienced professionals capable of mobilising within hours to assess needs and launch initial operations. Jérôme Bertrand, Deployment Unit Manager, takes us behind the scenes of a profession driven by anticipation, human commitment, and continuous adaptability.
A humanitarian deployment starts long before anyone arrives on the ground. Logistics, authorisations, coordination with local actors, and needs assessments must all be anticipated. Poor preparation can slow down the intervention and reduce its impact.
« As soon as a crisis occurs, we activate an alert system and assess the relevance of a deployment. At the same time, the coordination team at headquarters prepares the departure: logistics, equipment, budget, contact with partners… This phase determines everything that follows. »
« Since we make equipment purchases in advance, we have ready-to-deploy kits. One of our logisticians always has access to this stock and can dispatch materials from our Lyon warehouse at any time. You can leave within a few hours, with everything packed and ready »
Atlas Logistique has also developed a toolkit that includes contract templates, checklists, and ready-to-use operational procedures. « It may seem like a small detail, but it’s what takes the most time. When you need to negotiate a warehouse contract in an emergency, this kind of tool saves you a tremendous amount of time. »
Being prepared also means having a clear internal structure. «Everyone needs to know who’s doing what. Otherwise, you risk having two people doing the same thing or worse, missing something essential. »
This preparation also includes regular training. Teams are continuously trained to operate in diverse, complex, and changing contexts.
«?We’re constantly learning, sharing past experiences, and simulating scenarios. That’s what allows us to be ready to respond from the very first hours. »
Responding in a conflict zone, after a natural disaster or in a protracted crisis involves very different challenges. Understanding the local culture, security constraints, and available infrastructure is essential to tailor the response effectively.
The job requires constant learning. And perhaps unexpectedly: « You’ll spend a lot of time behind a computer, even in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by dust, you’ll still be at a laptop, organising and structuring the response.?»
« In Ukraine, we had to set up logistics operations in a country at war with massive needs, but also existing infrastructure. In Gaza, we’re working in an extremely restricted area, with access blockades, airstrikes, and the need for very tight coordination with local partners. »
Every emergency is completely different.
« The humanitarian act is, above all, a logistical act. Logistics creates access » says Jérôme. Transporting aid, moving teams, reopening roads to isolated areas: these are the factors that determine whether a mission will succeed.
« If you don’t have a truck to reach the remote parts of a country, and no one has cleared the road, then you can’t reach the population. Logistics is what creates humanitarian space. »
This applies even to the basics.
« When you arrive in a country like Afghanistan after the US withdrawal, if you’re not registered, you have nothing. You need to find a bed, a driver, a way to communicate. All of that is logistics too. »
Once the initial emergency phase has passed, the broader phase of humanitarian logistics begins: bringing in aid, setting up warehouses, and organising supply chains for all actors on the ground.
Deployment is, above all, about collaboration. You must work as a team, under pressure, and in close partnership with local actors. Managing stress and maintaining resilience are essential to ensure sustainability.
When a crisis breaks out, many humanitarian actors arrive at once, often in chaotic conditions. « You get this moment of confusion, a sense of disorganisation. It’s normal, everyone is trying to find their footing. »
That’s when coordination becomes vital. It helps avoid duplication, ensures no area is overlooked, and boosts efficiency. « Our first task is to meet absolutely everyone on the ground. That’s how you understand the real needs and fit into the humanitarian ecosystem. »
Jérôme shares an anecdote:
« In Dnipro, at the beginning of the war in Ukraine, we were all staying in the same hotel, the only one still open and secure. You just had to go down to the lobby to coordinate with the other humanitarian actors. »
A perfect illustration of how proximity and responsiveness shape the response.
This level of coordination also requires the ability to filter information. « There’s too much information, coming from all directions. You have to identify who has the right data and not get overwhelmed. It’s hard, but essential. »
Deployments mean facing the unknown. Even with thorough preparation, the unexpected is the norm. Changing priorities, security restrictions, limited access. Flexibility and inventive problem-solving are crucial. « No crisis is the same. We all arrive with assumptions and preconceptions. But you have to be ready to question everything. »
It’s also about gaining clarity in very unclear environments. « You land in a country you don’t know, and you must develop a clear overview, fast, even though the situation is incredibly complex. That’s not easy. »
Being able to respond quickly, without losing sight of long-term objectives, is a core strength of Atlas Logistique’s deployment teams. Essential qualities include analytical thinking, mental flexibility, strong organisation, interpersonal skills and most importantly:
« You have to be comfortable in chaos. »
For Jérôme, one rule is non-negotiable: never send someone alone. « There’s too much work, too many decisions to make. You need multiple perspectives, healthy disagreement, working hypotheses and support. » Deployments typically last no longer than two months, to maintain perspective and ensure clear-headedness. The system is designed around rotating teams.
Ultimately, a humanitarian deployment is the art of acting swiftly without improvising blindly. It’s about creating structure in chaos, forging human connections under pressure, and treating logistics as a mission. Above all, it is a deeply human experience, where adaptability and connection are the only constants.
As Jérôme summarises:
« With Atlas Logistique, we create humanitarian access. We open the humanitarian space. And to do that, we need to lay solid foundations from the very first hours. »
« We don’t save the world with every mission. But we create the conditions for others to do their jobs: to heal, to feed, to protect. And that is already a lot. »
HI is an independent and impartial aid organisation working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. We work alongside people with disabilities and vulnerable populations, taking action and bearing witness in order to respond to their essential needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights.
HI is an independent and impartial aid organisation working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. We work alongside people with disabilities and vulnerable populations, taking action and bearing witness in order to respond to their essential needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights.
