Communications Critical

The most popular means of communicating in Barbados today is by the telephone and more particularly mobile phones. Communications are important when there is a disaster and the two-way radio is still the equipment of choice.

The DEOs in St. Philip recently concluded training with radios under the instruction of Glyne Alleyne and Randy Chandler. Randy Chandler is a member of both the the Barbados Citizens' Band Radio Association and Barbados and the Amateur Radio Society of Barbados.

The Group discussed the One of the most important features of communication is transmitting and receiving information accurately. As you can imagine in an emergency situation incorrect messages can have dire consequences. One of the most important points that was made was that participants should not abuse the use of radios.

During the session members learnt the use of the radios, international terminology and how to send and receive messages.

Light Search and Rescue

The St. Philip DEOs continued their training at the Princess Margaret School. This evening Mr. Carlos Bishop from the Barbados Fire Service conducted the session. He was one of the first fire officers to enter the site at Arch Cot in Barbados rescue and recovery effort. Mr. Bishop had a great deal of practical and technical assistance. The class room was full and members particpated enthusiastically in the session.

In addition to taking in the lecture members were called upon to say how they would approach a particular disaster scenario presented to them. The class was broken into two groups. This showed the ability of those present to work as a team since there was a very limited time in which to assess the situation and determine the stepas that should be taken in such a situation.

In addition three methods were shown in getting a victim out of a dangerous situation. These included lifting, dragging and the use of a stretcher.

St. Philip DEOs Receive Training

The DEOs in the parish of St. Philip are beefing up their training in time for the hurricane season. The training sessions are held at the Princess Margaret School at Six Roads in St. Philip.

The first module was Disaster Preparedness that was presented by Clive Lorde. The second was Fire Safety and Suppression presented by Marlon Small and Fernando McAllister. On Saturday June 14, 2008 the group had an indepth look at Disaster Medical Operations. The instructor for this session was Wayne Payne.

There are several other modules that are on the cards. These include Light Search and Rescue, Incident Command and Team Organisation, Disaster & Emergency Communiation and a Disaster Simulation Exercise. This is a pilot project and it is expected that these sessions will be extended to the DEOS across the island.