TO respond effectively during calamities, the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CCDRRMO) will give city police personnel training on disaster response.
The Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CCDRRMC) is also asking all barangays in the City to submit their request for disaster equipment.
The move to train police personnel of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) is in response to a letter of CCPO Acting Chief Marciano Batiancela Jr. to CCDRRMC.
In his letter, Batiancela asked the CCDRRMC to help prepare the city’s police force in responding to calamities, now that the rainy season is here.
Councilor Dave Tumulak said 14 police units, including 11 police stations of CCPO, will join the training.
“Each police station will have its own emergency responders. We in the disaster council are happy that there are initiatives like this because the police can help the City since they will be the first responders,” Tumulak, who presides over CCDRRMC, said.
The station commanders will determine the number of personnel to be sent to the training.
Life support
Personnel from CCDRRMO who already completed different disaster response trainings will teach and train the police.
Within the five-day training, the police are expected to learn the different aspects of disaster response, such as basic life support, basic water search and rescue operation, rescue operation on a collapsed building, traffic management and how does the incident command system runs.
The training will start next week in an open space in the South Road Properties (SRP).
An audit on disaster preparedness by CCPO last May found out that CCPO is ill-equipped and unprepared to respond to calamities, like flooding.
Rescue
CCPO lacks rubber boats, life jackets and trained personnel for rescue operations.
So far, CCPO only has 60 trained police operatives for search-and-rescue operations.
After the training, Tumulak said, the City can give CCPO disaster equipment.
Meanwhile, Tumulak said the City has appropriated P1 million for each barangay under the annual budget this year to buy disaster equipment.
“They will choose what equipment they like but we will only limit the assistance to P1 million,” he said.
Brigades
Tumulak said the move is part of strengthening barangay-based disaster brigades that were formed to respond to emergencies and disasters in their areas.
For flood-prone areas, Tumulak said, the barangays can buy life vests, megaphones, inflatable boats and floodlights.
Before submitting the request, Tumulak said, barangay councils should approve a supporting resolution.
So far, only Barangay Punta Princesa has submitted a request to the CCDRRMC.
CCDRRMC has given the barangays until this month.