Lack of equipment hounds Search and Rescue groups

CEBU, Philippines- Lack of equipment continues to hound local emergency response groups in the province, an official of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said.

Julius Regner, PDRRMO information officer, disclosed that ill-equipped local government units was among the main concerns raised during the recently concluded first Search and Rescue (SAR) Summit organized by the Capitol’s disaster office.

He added that the problem has impinged on the performance and effort of the local response team during emergency situations.

“Dako kaayo’g epekto ug kuwang ta’g equipment. Nakapalit man gani ang gagmay’ng nga munisipyo, nganong di man ang uban?” he said.

He urged LGUs to be more serious in disaster response and preparedness and invest on it, noting that the province was visited by destructive calamities a year ago — the 7.2 magnitude earthquake and super typhoon Yolanda.

“We still need to improve, daghan pa ta’g kuwang,” he said.

Despite the concern, Regner reported that the main objectives of the three-day SAR Summit, which is to showcase best practices on emergency response and promote camaraderie among emergency responders, were achieved.

The summit focused on equipment familiarization, wilderness first aid familiarization and various rescue demonstrations using ropes, such as single rope techniques, low angle rope rescue and technical rope rescue.

Aside from rope techniques and basic first aid, there were also clinics on tropical bush craft and survival, land navigation and terrain analysis, vehicle extrication familiarization, and basic military mapping.

PDRRMO head Baltazar Tribunalo, in his speech, reminded first responder groups to establish strong connection with uniformed men and the civilian for future operations.

Regner said they are eyeing to craft common guidelines on search and rescue at the local level.

TV 5’s “Rescue 5” program host Paolo Bediones, who was the guest speaker during the three-day summit, emphasized the importance of spreading the knowledge of search and rescue.

The anchor believes that Cebu can be the educator when it comes to search and rescue and the pioneer of a bigger summit in the coming years.

“It is our role to be able to spread as much information to the public about being first responders, first aid and basic rescue. We are here to elevate the knowledge of the people from knowing nothing to being equipped with the right knowledge,” Bediones was quoted as saying on the report of the Provincial Information Office.

The participants came from Tabogon, Boljoon, Borbon, Aloguinsan, Consolacion, San Remigio, Liloan, Balamban, and Toledo City.

There were also groups from UP Mountaineers, Cebu Volunteers Search and Rescue Group, 5th Special Forces Company of AFP, Rescue 5, Zion Emergency and Disaster Response Unit, Cebu City Medical Services, Carmen Copper Emergency Response Team, Philippine National Police, and Bureau of Fire Protection.  (FREEMAN)