MMDA to open disaster preparedness training center this year

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is set to open a center for disaster preparedness training that will help responders prepare for emergency and calamity situations.

The agency shared that the aforementioned facility “aims to improve and institutionalize disaster response measures in the metropolis” as well as provide a safe, conducive, and controlled learning environment to ensure the capability of individuals and stakeholders on emergency response and public safety.

Per MMDA Acting Chairman Atty. Romando Artes, the disaster preparedness training center was conceptualized after the agency “saw the gaps in the capacity-building and training of rescuers following an earthquake hit Abra province in October last year, where rescuers had to come from different areas. "The agency saw the need to build a center that will focus on disaster response to empower rescuers and provide those affected by disasters with immediate assistance," Artes explained.

Further, the creation of the preparatory measure is to avoid estimated casualties should a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit Metro Manila (commonly known as "The Big One"), according to the 2004 Metro Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Based on the JICA study, the estimated impact of the quake may reach at least 35,000 people dead, 120,000 injured, and an economic loss reaching 2.5 trillion pesos.

The training center — to be built in an area of more than one hectare — will be built on a vacant property of the MMDA at the Carmona Sanitary Landfill in Cavite City. This will be equipped with the necessary facilities and tools to provide participants with an experiential learning opportunity.

MMDA’s disaster preparedness training center will feature four training facilities namely rappelling tower, confined space Structure, wrecked building with structure rubble pile, and pancake collapsed structure that will give training based on real-life rescue scenarios.

The agency stated that the rappelling tower is designed to provide trainees with the skills required for safe, effective, and reliable methods of rescuing trapped and injured persons from elevated structures; while the confined space structures shall equip individuals with the knowledge and skills in collapsed structure rescue tasks necessary to search for, stabilize, and extricate victims trapped in buildings.

In addition, the wrecked buildings with structured rubble piles training shall involve the location, extrication, and initial medical stabilization of victims trapped or missing; and pancake collapsed structures to train participants on a pancake collapse" scenario.

Expected to open before the end of the year, the training will initially cater to 17 Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices (MDRRMO), and will soon accommodate other government agencies, barangay auxiliaries, fire volunteer groups in the Metropolis, and rescuers from other provinces.

Those who will be interested to undergo the training need to secure a medical clearance before they can participate. "We will provide them with two-week trainor’s training using our existing equipment, such as life locators and vibrascopes, among others, so we can produce more rescuers that can extend immediate disaster response assistance to nearby areas should an earthquake occur," Artes said.

The agency will also acquire additional modern rescue equipment and preposition those to four quadrants in Metro Manila, as stated in the Oplan Metro Yakal Plus (also known as the Metro Manila Earthquake Contingency Plan).

Photos from Metropolitan Manila Development Authority

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