Rope rescue training strengthens Dinagat Island’s disaster preparedness
By Renelle L. Escuadro
BUTUAN CITY (PIA) – Bond. Tie. Connect. These are the essential uses of a rope for emergencies, as comprehensively discussed in the recent five-day training on rope rescue in the Province of Dinagat Islands.
Spearheaded by the Dinagat Islands Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), the activity was participated by the risk frontliners from the different offices of the local DRRM, strengthening the disaster preparedness of the province.
Dante Sayon of the Philippine Emergency Telecommunication Search and Rescue Group (PETSARAG), serving as resource person, along with the Dinagat Islands Search and Rescue (DISAR), taught the technical and practical applications on how to use the rope during emergency situations.
“Pagmaghisgot ta og collapse structure, i-descend ang victim gikan sa taas padulong sa ubos para matagaan nato og emergency medical service (When we say collapse structure, we descend the victim from a high place to provide emergency medical service). But for mountain search and rescue, you may raise the victim from below going up,” he said, emphasizing the proper way to use the rope and its flexibility in different search and rescue situations.
HIghlighting the training was the conduct of the Field Training Exercise (FTE) where participants executed their learnings on the proper use of the rope as a tool for search and rescue through a simulation activity.
Sayon added that body conditioning, strength and stamina, right knowledge and determination are the requisites for the participants to surpass the obstacle and complete the training.
He commended them on their knowhow and skills on land and map navigation, incident management, mountain rescue, rappel technique, among others.
“To absorb the skills on rope rescue, you have to develop the capacity to analyze the situation. What is taught here is theory and the real situation is on the ground. To save lives, we need to apply the proper way on how to use the tools for search and rescue,” Sayon added.
Dexter Acain, a police officer, expressed appreciation for the training. He said, “I realized that there are still areas that I need to learn and become a more effective responder. The rope rescue training allows me to better assist and help our communities during inevitable situations.
PDDRM Officer Rosario Jra. R. Alon said, “This training makes us good citizens and more relevant to our communities. More than upskilling, this activity is also an assessment of the readiness of the province on DRRM.”
Meanwhile, a rope is made of yarns, plies, fibers and strands that are grouped, twisted and braided together into a larger and stronger form, making it relevant for search and rescue operations.
Rope rescue, for risk frontiers, is a highly specialized field of technical rescue that requires the use of rope and related equipment to safely gain ingress to, and remove individuals from hazardous areas with limited access. (RLE, PIA Dinagat Islands with a report from PDRRMC Dinagat Islands.
