THE DAVAO City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) has set a series of activities for the National Disaster Resilience Month in July.
The month-long celebration aims to enhance disaster preparedness capabilities in the city, the highlight of which will be the Davao First Responder Rescue Skills and Obstacle Competition at the Crocodile Park on July 19 to 21.
CDRRMO head Alfredo Baloran said the activity for this month will be participated in by competing Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction Management Councils (BDRRMCs), emergency response teams from Central 911, volunteer groups, and others.
“We will conduct the First Responder Olympics in coordination with Davao City Sports. In this activity the different responders’ groups, the BDRRMCs are enjoined to participate because this is also one way of enhancing their capabilities,” he said during the I-Speak media forum on Thursday.
First responders participating in the obstacle competition, Baloran added, will be able to practice with all kinds of rescue equipment and hone their skills in utilizing life-saving devices during an emergency.
The CDRRMO has already opened the month-long observance of the National Disaster Resilience Month with a Town Hall Session— participated in by various agencies and barangay functionaries all over the city —held at The Ritz Hotel on July 3.
“We have already conducted the Town Hall Session which is the opening of the National Disaster Resilience Month,” he said.
The CDRRMO is also set to have its Gawad KALASAG Seal for Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils and Offices validated on July 11.
A two-part Public Service Continuity Plan Workshop for all concerned agencies and stakeholders will be conducted on July 13 and 28, while a ‘Walk the Slope Dialogue’ is slated on the 27th.
A first-ever River-wide Drill along Talomo River and Matina River will be simultaneously conducted with Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction Management Councils (BDRRMCs) and volunteers from all over the city on June 29.
BDRRMC responders will be able to exercise search, rescue, and evacuation operations during the drill— the execution of which, according to Baloran, serves as marker for their capabilities to respond during emergencies.
Reviews and recommendations will be given to participating groups from which a template for emergency response will be derived.
The celebration will end on the 31st with a Mangrove Tree Planting in Barangay Eden.
