Provincial guards more prepared to respond to disasters
By Jimmy M. Charaychay
Bontoc, Mountain Province- Personnel of the Provincial Security Services Office (PSSO) of the provincial government are now more prepared, knowledgeable and equipped in responding to disaster.
This is the result of the Basic Incident Command System (ICS) seminar participated by the provincial security guards in August 2015 at the PSSO, Provincial Capitol Building here.
The seminar involved eighth modules with the following topics: Introduction to ICS, Organization and Staffing, ICS Incident Facilities, Organizing and Managing Incidents and Events, Incident/Event Assessment and Management by Objectives, Incident Resources and Resource Management, Incident and Event Planning, and Transfer of Command, Demobilization and Closeout. Aside from the lecture, a workshop on every topics was prepared for the participants.
The lecturers were Kapon Gomgom-o and Dines Mangatam both from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO), Miguela P. Angwani of the Provincial Social Welfare Development Office (PSWDO), Constance Fagyan of Bontoc General Hospital, and Jeffrey Lizardo of the Office of the Governor.
The lecturers were trained by the expert cadres from the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. This was thru the initiative of the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) – Cordillera headed by Regional Director Andrew Alex H. Uy. The ICS training staff were Lt. Col. Joel N. Sobrera of the Philippine Army (PA), Senior Fire Officer 3 Josesito Dollente, Senior Fire Officer1 Leo Daniel Lardizabal, Ms. Vanessa C. Sito and Ms. Kathleen Joyce David.
PSS Officer Robert L. Toctocan said that the seminar is very important especially nowadays that the country is visited by typhoons and Mountain Province is not spared from these. He added that the provincial guards as members of the Provincial Task Force are mobilized to respond when there is a disaster.
ICS is a standardized on-scene emergency management concept specifically designed to allow its users to adopt an integrated organization structure, equal to the complexity and demands of a single or multiple incidents
Meanwhile, part of the activity was a farewell for a departed fellow provincial guard, Tito Tongfoyen.
