BY NYARIKA DOMANAIS
ILOILO – Provincial capitol employees displayed preparedness and presence of mind during the first quarter national simultaneous earthquake drill yesterday morning.
This drill was organized by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, headed by Cornelio Salinas, with the participation of the Bureau of Fire Protection, Emergency Responders of Iloilo, Philippine National Police, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 6, and security forces of the provincial capitol.
Melissa Banias, OCD-6 Operations Section chief, said the drill sought to ensure the alertness of the employees and visitors of the capitol to know what to do in case of emergencies.
“Through this drill, you can actually develop your muscle memory. Muscle memory means nga pag-abot bala sa emergency, ready on what to do kasi naka-embed na sa system mo. So kung gina–practice mo ang isa ka bagay, once na-trigger, right away you really know what to do. Amo na ang goal naton, to develop muscle memory sa aton participants, sa aton mga employees kag sa public para they already know what to do,” Banias, who was invited to assess and criticize the drill, said.
During the drill, two employees served as “victims” to assess the response of the medical team, from extracting patients from an incident area to transporting them to the nearest hospital.
Also, the employees were taught the proper duck, cover, and hold and which area was the nearest designated evacuation site.
The provincial government conducted the drill as part of the qualification for the Gawad Kalasag National Award.
Based on the parameters of the OCD, Banias said the Iloilo provincial capitol had only minor adjustments to improve when it comes to security and cordon, while the warning system, communication equipment, and assets such as the ambulance, medical team, and command post were well executed./PN
