BACOLOD CITY — A total of 32 employees of the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental underwent a two-day Basic Life Support and First Aid Training, in line with the observance of National Disaster Resilience Month, in July.
The employees attended the culmination activity of the month-long observance on Tuesday afternoon, where they received certificates of completion and awards after applying what they learned during the Rescue Olympics held last July 23.
Zeaphard Caelian, head of the Provincial Disaster Management Program Division (PDMPD), said that through the activity, they aim to raise awareness on disaster preparedness among the Capitol employees and encourage them to be more involved and responsible in disaster response.
The training, he said, would enable the concerned employees to perform the standard first-aid procedures effectively, and organize the Provincial Capitol Employees Response Team as an output.
During the Rescue Olympics, each of the team was judged based on the different skills performed, such as bandaging, splinting, basic life support/cardiopulmonary resuscitation, lifting and moving of the injured person, medical emergencies, and wound care/dressing.
First place winner Lay Heroes received a cash prize of PHP10,000; Team Hugot, second, PHP8,000; and Rescue Rangers, third, PHP6,000.
The two-day training, led by the Provincial Health Office-Health Emergency and Disaster Operations Center with the PDMPD and the Provincial Planning and Development Office, was held on July 16-17 at the Capitol Social Hall.
Meanwhile, the Amity Public Safety Academy led by chairman Ferdinand Turbanos and James Ultem Benares turned over four units of automated external defibrillator (AED) to the provincial government during Tuesday’s culmination program.
An AED is a portable electronic device vital in regaining the natural rhythm of the heartbeat and restarting the patient’s heart. It is used if the patient remains non-responsive after a CPR is performed. (Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA)
