TWO students of Carlos Hilado Memorial State College-Talisay put their organization’s motto into practice when they rushed to the scene of a multiple car crash on July 31 along the Bacolod-Silay Access Road in Barangay Matab-ang, Talisay City.
John Dave Mananquil and Camille Aragon, who joined the rescue groups responding to the collision that left 15 persons injured, are members of the school’s Disaster Emergency Assistance and Rescue Services.
The organization, known as CHMSC Dears, trains volunteer-members how to handle emergencies in school, at home, and in the community. It is headed by Robert Pardillo and Juvelyn Encabo, both of the Social Science Department of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Aragon, a Civil Engineering student, said the vehicular accident was her first in dealing with a major pile-up.
When she arrived and saw one of the victims pinned down inside a multi-cab, she said she froze for a moment, unsure of what to do until somebody called her and asked her to treat a victim with abrasions. Then she said her training kicked in.
According to Mananquil, an Industrial Technology student and the president of CHMSC-Dears, they hold training in basic first aid, basic life support, lifting and carrying injured patients, and rescue rappelling, among others.
Mananquil, who is also a volunteer for the Silay City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office for the past four years, admitted that rescue work is tiring.
But every time he is able to help, he said the tiredness is replaced by happiness.
Aragon agreed, saying that even though she does not get paid for the work, the feeling she gets when she is able to help is priceless. (PR)