Tibaldo: The Incident Command System and PH’s DRRMC

AFTER having observed the various public and private interventions as well as the mode of operations of local government units and national line agencies during the recent tragedy caused by Typhoon Ompong especially to the municipality of Itogon, Benguet, I am once again reminded of the Incident Command System that we learned many years ago.

If a potential hazard like an earthquake and cyclone can lead to landslides, erosion and mudflow, it is imperative that a locality with such possibilities should have a pre, during, and after disaster interventions in its operational system.

A pre-phase of a mining community like Itogon should involve the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) while the Bureau of Fire Protection should have a fire safety plan ready for a densely populated city like Baguio where many roads cannot be reached by fire trucks especially those with ladders.

The massive landslide in 070 Ucab, Itogon, Benguet was seen as the most tragic incident in recent times with about a hundred people reportedly buried. It became a banner story in many periodicals and foreign news with social media serving as the number one source of news updates by netizens who heard of the tragedy.

For one who underwent various training on the Incident Command System, I was particularly concerned on how mainstream media and netizens are reporting the situation and sharing information through mobile phones particularly on the lists of names for those who perished and died and those who were rescued and listed as alive or survivor.

Based on what I know about ICS, no media or person without a specific role should be allowed to go near the search, rescue and trauma area and an On-scene Commander manning the operations should not even be interviewed.

Images of piled bodies came out in the news but I was struck by a released photo of a headless recovered body being carried by rescuers. Also, the list of unverified individuals being rescued should be within the confines of the Incident Commander or at the ICS command post where no members of the press can copy or take a snapshot pending the clearance by the medical team or forensic experts.

As it happened in Itogon, a marked casualty came up with a social media post showing himself pointing at his name listed as among the dead. With the Itogon experience, I observed that almost all of those involved in the ongoing operations allowed themselves to be interviewed which shouldn’t be the case in the ICS mode of operation.

What I know based on what I learned from ICS particularly on Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) is that all consolidated information should first be cleared by the ICS Commander and double checked by the medical team or forensic experts before names of the dead can be released.

There should be an identified credible public information officer stationed at the ICS Command Center who can receive and face the media and define the parameters of the coverage because many eager reporters or members of news team can also be at risk in going about their work especially that the site in Ucab Itogon is not really stable as confirmed by the MGB.

In the Philippine Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Act of 2010 or RA 10121, it is stated on SEC. 10 that a Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Organization at the Regional Level shall be in operation and known as the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (RDRRMCs) which shall coordinate, integrate, supervise, and evaluate the activities of the LDRRMCs. The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) shall formulate standard operating procedures for coordination and establish ICS as part of the Philippines’ on- scene disaster response system.

Conforming to the international standard, the Incident Command System in the country is defined as a standard, on-scene, all-hazard incident management concept that can be used by all DRRMC member agencies and response groups.

With the purpose to help to ensure the safety of responders and others, achieve tactical objectives and use resources efficiently, the ICS must meet the needs of incidents of any kind or size and allows personnel from a variety of agencies to blend rapidly into a common management structure.

In the case of typhoon Ompong, Presidential Adviser Sec. Francis Tolentino was tasked by President Rodrigo Duterte as the Responsible Official (RO) because of the magnitude of the incident. He automatically became the overall in charge of the agencies and institutions making top decisions and providing directions to manage an incident or planned event within his/her jurisdiction. The Regional Disaster Coordinating Councils shall henceforth be responsible in ensuring disaster sensitive regional development plans, and in case of emergencies shall convene the different regional line agencies and concerned institutions and authorities.

From day-1 of typhoon Ompong, the Regional Director of OCD served as chairperson of the Cordillera RDRRMC and Co-Chaired by the Regional Director of the DSWD during the series of coordination meetings at the office of OCD-CAR at Camp Allen in Baguio City.

Other agencies and government offices such as the PNP, AFP, DILG, DOH, DPWH, NBI, MGB, DENR and DTI convened as needed and the office of the Philippine Information Agency-CAR was tasked to set the parameters and rules of the coverage only after the third or fourth day which PIA did by setting a press conference with key officials and time of pictorial only at a specified safe place.

When I was at the site last Saturday, I saw for myself what the MGB official said that cracks are already all over Itogon as recorded by their drones and what I saw and recorded was only few hundred meters from the incident area.

Sec. Francis Tolentino during the coordination meeting advised Mayor Victorio Palangdan to implement preemptive or forced evacuation in most of the hazardous areas in Itogon which I really hope will happen before the next strong typhoon comes.

Trending

No stories found.

Just in

No stories found.

Branded Content

No stories found.
SunStar Publishing Inc.
www.sunstar.com.ph