The National Milling Company of Guyana Inc. (NAMILCO) recently held its 2015 Port Facility Exercise at its Houston complex.
A release from the company stated that in accordance with the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, the facility is required to conduct such an exercise every year but not exceeding 18 months
The exercise (titled NAMSOLCO in honour of the three participating entities – NAMILCO, SOL Guyana Inc and DIDCO Trading Company) was directed by the Maritime Administration Department and also involved the Guyana Police Force, Fire Service, Coast Guard, Marine Police, Ambulance Service and Guyana Power and Light.
The primary focus of the venture was to test coordination, response mechanisms and capabilities, availability of resources, evacuation procedures, external and back-up communication, effectiveness of the area/floor monitors and emergency coordinators, crowd control at assembly points and security procedures at the security level.
The two and a half hour event involved a live exercise aimed at educating and sensitising the employees how to prepare for any eventual danger, the release said. The imaginary scenario saw the Professional Guard Service (PGS) observing smoke emitting from the NAMILCO Head Office while another group enacted a failure in the line of communication when the security guards attempted to contact the PGS.
Participants from SOL played the part of look-outs for the possible spread of fire, while the Guyana Fire Service performed a prompt arrival to extinguish the blaze. The staff from NAMILCO then took their turn filing out in an orderly manner when the fire alarm rang, assembling in compound to await the arrival of the fire trucks and other personnel who were participating.
Also included in the event was the Coast Guard portrayal of inspecting and ensuring a suspicious looking boat moored at NAMILCO’s water front posed no danger to the company.
At the conclusion of the venture the Exercise Management Team and observers who were assigned to monitor and record information were required to comment and suggest recommendations for improvement and for future reference.
