Over 40 men and women from various departments including the Belize Defense Force, the police, customs, immigration the fire service and NEMO are currently participating in a disaster preparedness training exercise. The event is being coordinated by the BDF working along with the Mexican military. Lt. Col. Emil Pulido says that it is all about coordination in a time of crisis.
Lt. Col. Emil Pulido,
“The main aspect of the training is first of all how to set up a coordination center. In the event of a disaster, there is always different organization and institutions participating. It is key to know how to conduct the coordination of all these institutions. When you are finished with that aspect, you will then go into a simulation exercise using a map. You will assess the area and see what sort of disaster threats they are and then plan for how they can mitigate that. They will also go into practical aspects such as search and rescue and aquatic rescue, from a body of water, setting of shelters, and also feeding centers. At the end of this course, we hope to first of all have a series of people from various institutions who can form a network and get to know each other. That is very important as a byproduct of the course. Secondly they will be prepared in the case of a disaster at their particular institution.”
The first week will be theoretical and the second will be practical.