THE City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department (CDRRMD) in Cagayan de Oro City received on Monday, January 8, a new state-of-the-art hydraulic equipment for use during rescue operations.
Nick Jabagat, chief of the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Unit of CDRRMD, said the new hydraulic equipment will be used by the USAR for victim-extraction and creating access during rescue operations involving vehicular incidents and building collapse, among others.
"Ang atong equipment before, in terms of performance, murag angat ni sya [the new equipment], latest (In terms of performance, the new equipment are the latest and has a high performance level compared to the old equipment we have)," Jabagat said.
The newly-acquired equipment, which cost millions according to Jabagat, are said to be one of the top equipment not only in the Philippines but also in the whole world and are used by rescuers in America and Canada.
"Friendly sa mga responder kay gaan sya, handy, dili ka maglisod mag operate sa gabii kay naa syay suga (It is a responder-friendly equipment since its light, handy, and it's not hard to operate even during the night because it also has its own light)," Jabagat said.
The hydraulic equipment is composed of a spreader, cutter and ram.
Even with the purchase of new equipment, the USAR unit chief said it does not mean the old equipment will no longer be used.
Jabagat said the hydraulic equipment were procured to back up and enhance CDRRMD rescue operations, adding that calls for help, not only in the city but even from El Salvador and Laguindingan, have been increasing.
The CDRRMD, he said, has been responding to different types of emergencies in the city as well as in nearby areas as the agency is now being known to have the proper equipment for rescue operations.
"In every operation, lahi-lahi sya og nature. So dili ka maka ingon nga kaya ra sya sa usa ka equipment. Dili gyud sya ing-ana. At least ready ta (There are different nature in every operation. So we cannot say that it will only need a single set of equipment. It's not like that. At least we are ready)," Jabagat said.
In January 2016, a four-year-old boy was crushed to death inside a 10 wheeler truck driven by his father in Puerto, Cagayan de Oro City.
Jabagat said the CDRRMD spent eight to nine hours rescuing the boy.
With the acquisition of the equipment, Jabagat said, the time spent in rescue operations will lessen, thus, allowing them to ultimately save more lives.