In Region Two, 38 persons, representing six entities, completed a two-day training exercise in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management conducted by the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) at Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast.
The training from May 15-16 was provided in collaboration with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) which has its Coastal Battalion headquartered on the Essequibo Coast, the CDC said in a press release yesterday.
Thirty-one of the participants were from the GDF and the others included the Chairman of the Neighbour-hood Democratic Council (NDC) and representatives from the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Fire Service, the Regional Public Health Service, and the Charity Hospital.
The GDF’s Coastal Battalion, as part of its mandate, is expected to play a critical role in the execution of Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and response activities in the communities where they are operational in the event of emergencies or disasters.
During intense interactive sessions, the release stated, the participants studied modules presented on Data Gathering, Disaster Risk Management in Guyana, Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis Systems in Guyana, and Teamwork.
They were evaluated at the end of each presentation and were also engaged in a field exercise which required a demonstration of the lessons learnt, particularly as it related to damage assessment.
According to CDC’s Operations and Training Officer, Major Kester Craig, the results were pleasing but he acknowledged that it could have been better had the training been scheduled over a greater number of days.
“The participants were enthusiastic and were successful at identifying vulnerabilities and hazards affecting the Anna Regina community,” Major Craig was quoted as saying.
“This is critical for any layman to be able to do and much more so, Disaster Risk Management personnel who are required to take action during calamitous occurrences.
Once they know what the hazards and vulnerabilities are, they can at the basic level, take a common-sense approach to helping to reduce the risk,” he added.
Meanwhile, several persons have been identified for further training which will be geared toward enabling them to become instructors.
They will then be able to continue training in the region, Craig added.
The DRM training was conducted in the context of Civil-Military (Civ-Mil) capacity building which is the rationale for the involvement of members from the Joint Services and civil institutions.
In Guyana the primary hazard which is flooding often demands Civ-Mil collaboration, particularly since the combination of skill sets is extremely valuable, considering the response requirements for personnel and equipment.
The training is to be replicated in Regions Three and Six next month, the release concluded.
