by Allan Gabriel J. Magpantay and Carlo Joseph F. Castillo

A disaster preparedness and emergency response program was conducted by the Los Baños Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) last February 25, 2019 at the Vega Center located in Barangay Batong Malake.

In partnership with the Los Baños Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (MDRRM), the LB BFP catered to the members of Victory Christian Fellowship in a whole-day session that included talks about disaster resilience, disaster plan, lifting and moving, emergency transfer, and fire safety.

A field training exercise was also conducted.

The disaster preparedness training included a demonstration of how to lift an injured person. (Photo courtesy of LB BFP)

According to SFOI Duannee Fadki, the goal of the program is to prepare the residents for various disasters such as earthquakes and fires that may happen in an unexpected time. He added that the choice of topics covered by trainings they administer depends on the environmental hazards present in the locale.

In connection to this, he mentioned the occurrence of a 3.6-magnitude earthquake in Los Baños last month, and he emphasized the importance of preparedness for the so-called “Big One.”

Fadki also discussed why student involvement during disasters is important. He focused on the capacity of students to report incidents using their smartphones.