The Department of the Interior and Local Government XII went into “full acting mode” in the conduct of the 2nd Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) on June 20, 2019 at the DILG Regional Office XII grounds.
The siren was sounded out at exactly 2:00 PM to send signal to the participants of the start of the ‘ground shaking event’. All DILG XII Personnel promptly did the “duck, cover and hold” maneuvers in a clock-work precision. When the siren stopped, each player assessed the surroundings for a few seconds before vacating the building in a quick but orderly manner and then assembled themselves in a pre-designated evacuation area. When all of the employees, along with some guests who joined the drill, were gathered in the evacuation area, a headcount was performed by the designated Line Leaders who, in turn, reported directly to the Evacuation Head.
When it was later found out that two (2) employees were ‘missing’, the Search and Rescue Team was deployed to locate and save them. The victims later emerged being assisted by the SSR team, with one of the victims being carried out in a long spinal board (LSB). The duo were then brought to a makeshift treatment area where they received first aid treatment for their injuries.
All the proceedings were observed and evaluated by the members of the Bureau of Fire and Protection, Koronadal City, headed by SFO2 Ariel Gerardo P. Carmelo. SFO2 Carmelo commended the efforts and the ‘seriousness’ of the DILG XII employees while performing the drill. There had been aspects in the drill which they pointed out during the evaluation as needing ‘improvements’ but overall, the whole drill has greatly improved compared to the previous performance of the whole DILG XII team. The employees were also commended for their quick action, which, according to the evaluators, matter much in an actual earthquake scenario.
The lack of a centralized alarm system, battery- operated emergency lights in the corridors and stairwells, are among the few things that need immediate action and attention, were acknowledged by the Regional Director Josephine Cabrido-Leysa, ARD Lailyn A. Ortiz and the Overall Coordinator Ms. Jessilou L. Frugalidad who readily pledged to act on the said concerns.
In her message, RD Cabrido-Leysa assured the evaluators that their recommendations will be taken into consideration, in time for the next drill to be held sometime in August. RD Leysa, who had been to many other countries which advocate emergency preparedness as a way of life, emphasized the importance of drills and the necessity of doing it correctly, with greater degree of participation and more serious ‘role-playing’, like they were in an actual emergency.
The activity is pursuant to NDRRMC Memorandum Circular No. 46, s. 2017 which aims to evaluate the efficiency of response, preparedness, and recovery plans including the systems and policies of government offices.###
