TAGBILARAN CITY — The National Irrigation Administration Region 7 (NIA-R7) conducted a Fire and Earthquake Drill on May 10-11, 2022, to ensure its employees can respond appropriately to emergencies.
Facilitated by the Tagbilaran City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the employees learned the safety procedures in a Basic Fire and Earthquake Safety lecture conducted on the first day of training.
A scenario-based fire emergency and earthquake drill was also done on the second day to test whether the employees can successfully carry out the emergency procedures.
NIA-R7 employees from the Regional Office and the Bohol Irrigation Management Office participated and executed the “duck, cover, and hold” technique throughout the alarm phase, followed evacuation routes, and conducted a headcount while in the evacuation area until the earthquake drill was concluded.
During the fire simulation, NIA 7 also mobilized its safety teams (from the warden on down) which secured proper safety procedures are observed. The patients in the simulation were also safely taken out of the building and were given first aid by employees who had recently undergone Basic Life Support training by the Philippine Red Cross.
NIA-R7 Acting Regional Manager Engr. Reyne B. Ugay, who also actively participated in the workshop, emphasized the importance of this activity,
“We do not know when or where these emergencies could possibly occur, but through the knowledge we acquired, our employees have a higher chance to remain safe and well during an emergency. We can apply these proactive measures to potential threats to safety not just in our workplace but also in our respective homes”, he said.
Before the two-day training concluded, CDRRMO and BFP helped the agency develop better strategies and contingency plans and gave comments on what needs to be changed to improve safety and efficiency.