SAN FELIPE, Zambales—An Air Force helicopter plucked a victim from a turbulent sea, while divers ran relays bringing other passengers of a capsized ship to shore. At the beach, more rescue teams launched rubber boats to join the search, as medics started giving first aid to survivors.
The above scenario was just part of the realistic training undertaken by some 200 rescue personnel from all over Central Luzon here last Thursday during the second day of the seventh Central Luzon Water Search and Rescue (Wasar) Olympics at the Montecruz Beach Resort in this town.
The event, organized by the Region 3 Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, drew a total of 27 teams from various barangays, municipalities, cities and agencies in the seven provinces of Central Luzon.
Supt. Jonas Silvano, Zambales provincial fire marshall and head of the organizing committee, said the three-day exercise was designed to hone the skills of rescue teams in water operations.
These included Wasar teams from Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Cabanatuan City, Balanga City, Malolos City, Meycuayan City, Palayan City, San Jose del Monte, Apalit, Baler, Bocaue, Calumpit, Norzagaray, Pulilan, Santa Maria, Subic, Barangay Pagas, Barangay Loma de Gato, as well as teams from the Philippine Army and the Philippine Air Force.
The teams joined competitions in swimming, boat paddling and boat maneuvering, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, rescue with and without equipment, as well as a demonstration on search and rescue operations on air, ground, surface and limited hoist operations using the Bell 205 Alpha helicopter. There was also a static display of various rescue equipment used by participating local government units (LGUs) in Central Luzon. Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., who attended the opening ceremony, said the exercise was an important event that LGUs and residents should watch and learn from because the country is often hit by typhoons, floods and other calamities.
“It is equally important that the ordinary people should witness these exercises so that those who are to be rescued would know and understand what is being done and what the procedures are. Understanding would make any rescue operation easier and more efficient,” Ebdane said.
He added that while the Olympics would show off the skills of the various Wasar teams in the region, it should also show their limitations. “That, for me, is more important because it will determine what needs improvement and further training,” he added. San Felipe Mayor Carolyn Fariñas said, meanwhile, that the exercises served as an eye-opener for local executives on the need to strengthen the capacity of local rescue teams.
“Now I better understand what kind of support and management is needed to be given to our rescue volunteers and personnel so that they can be more effective and efficient,” Fariñas said.
Romeo Hernandez, who heads the Public Order Safety Office in Subic town, said the exercise gave members of his team a chance to improve their teamwork and trust, especially since it was their first time to join a Wasar Olympics. “There’s better bonding now, and we have come to trust each other’s capability better. That is a very important experience, especially for a team working in a place surrounded by rivers and the sea,” Hernandez added.
Director Josefina Timoteo, who chairs the Region 3 Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said the training seeks to establish, equip and strengthen the capabilities of rescuers and rescue groups. “Activities like these increase our level of preparedness and further improve our capability to respond to disasters through the introduction and practice of local and international recourse methodologies.”