FOR SOME of us who experienced an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8, covered tragic mishaps such as the Little Kibungan mudslide and reported health related risks such as the meningococcemia, foot-and-mouth disease and even the melanin scare, I would say that preparedness, knowing what to do and having a safe environment are among the necessary things that each one must consider.
We need to assess and determine our vulnerabilities to all possible risks such, erosion, flood, strong typhoon and earthquake including chemical spills, fire, civic conflagration, robbery and even hostage taking. If you live beside a road, you must likewise determine if your house is safe from possible vehicular collisions and asses if your fence can stop a wayward vehicle before ultimately ramming your house.
We learned a lot from past experiences but are we preparing for another emergency situations? The extent of developments in the city and the increasing number of motorists and visitors as a result of the extended expressways almost reaching the foothills of Benguet and reducing travel time from the metro to just over three hours is a welcome development. Roads leading to our city are noticeably being widened but I also observe tightening of road bottlenecks and reduction of possible areas that can be used for emergency response.
For a Baguio resident who grew up and spent more than half a century up in this mountain city, it means that the center of the city will become a choke-point likened to the tight bottom of a funnel that is accumulating lots of load. How I wish that currently seated officials who entertain development proposals realize the importance of wide open spaces in the center of the city that can serve not only as a breathing space but for safety evacuation like what happened during the 1990 quake.
Introducing vertical or high rise infrastructures like a multi-level parking with a mall is exactly what should not be done especially to open areas ideal as disaster command center. Developers even integrate and use the term “green architecture” in their plans to make it appear that their proposed structure complies with global standards.
With my basic training on disaster preparedness and Incident Command System, I know that responders trained to work across a wide variety of incidents and hazard scenarios need an area that can be cordoned for disaster related coordination and action. ICS Commanders need staging areas for paramedic ambulances, fire trucks including areas to stage and position casualties, wounded and those needing immediate medical attention.
The ICS requires a trained incident commander and an on-scene commander who takes responsibilities in managing the actual emergency situation. We had exercises at Loakan Airport with a plane crash as a scenario in the early 90s and there I learned different fire-fighting gears needed like the Aqueous Fire Fighting Foam or A3F for such scenario that only Camp John Hay and PEZA’s fire-fighting unit has back then. Transport service from incident site to the nearest hospital is also part of ICS management and I remember what our trainer told us that it is better to take the longer route with faster mobility than the shorter route with many stop lights and tighter traffic.
Fire, health and law enforcement services are located within Baguio’s central business district which is also the most congested part of the city. We need to also note that almost all the major universities and big malls are located around Burnham Park that is also being used for trade and commerce with carnival and biking.
The former site of the old City Auditorium is now being used for bus and visitors parking and the once open skating rink has long been covered by a translucent polycarbonate roofing. With the athletic oval’s rubberized tracks and tall lamp posts around it, the place can only accommodate limited air transport should there be a need for mass evacuation.
My specific training was on media management which is an important facet of ICS. This is also a critical point especially now that social media spreads faster than the usual print, radio and TV. As a trained ICS spokesperson, all information that refers to the names of injured, casualties, extent of damage and suspects in case or arson are matters that needs verification, validation and approval subject to the extent and gravity of the situation. It can happen that the situation worsens if unverified and sketchy reports are released and names of victims or casualties are broadcast. Unverified reports can also lead to unnecessary people’s convergence at a time when search, rescue and evacuation are taking place.
Ideally, somebody trained in ICS may serve as the incident commander but officials who can command and give instructions to the various service facilities of a locality can also assume the post.
There should also be a chain and unity of command with clear tasks and responsibilities that eliminates confusion as a result of conflicting directives from authorities. In our training, agencies head and representatives were tapped like the Police Director for peace and order, the hospital head for the trauma and medical team, the public works engineer for search and rescue and the Office of Civil Defense for coordination with top officials of the Department of National Defense and Office of the President if there is a need for declaration of a state of emergency.
I was then with the Philippine Information Agency and my specific role during our drills was to assist in the command center, serve as the spokesperson and prevent media from getting close to the scene for them not to get in the way and cause obstruction. Only after the situation normalizes and the ICS has ceased its operation can media access the full details of the incident except information gathered by the ICS intelligence unit for a more thorough study by appropriate authorities.