CamSur wins 1st runner-up at int’l challenge

By Annalyn Gallego

Members of the Camarines Sur Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) won 1st runner-up at the International Rescue Challenge (IRC) and the Asia Pacific Earthquake Response Exercise (APERE) hosted by the United Nations International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) at the Emergency Services Academy (ESA), Lahore, Pakistan on October 21-26, 2024.

The CamSur team, comprised of four personnel from the Provincial Government’s Environment, Disaster Management and Emergency Response Office (EDMERO) and three officers from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Camarines Sur Provincial Office, competed against nine other countries, namely, United Kingdom, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, China, Nepal, Thailand, and another Philippine Team from Region 8.

The International Rescue Challenge was organized to share diverse experience, technical know-how, and best practices, and to improve coordination among international emergency services. Various rescue teams from all over the world competed in five (5) challenges, including Fire-Fit Challenge, Trauma Challenge, Height Rescue Challenge, Deep Well Rescue Challenge, and Confines Space Extrication Challenge. Said challenges reflected real emergencies, allowing them to demonstrate their professional knowledge and skills in the field of search and rescue and emergency management.

“The main goal of the International Rescue Challenge is to have camaraderie and exchange of knowledge among rescuers, and to have upgraded rescue skills necessary when there is a disaster,” shared John Jiro Pingol, Operation Officer of EDMERO who joined the competition.

He added, “Through this competition, we have collaborated with different international rescuers, learned a lot from their experiences, how they prepare, how their team was formed, what their trainings are, and what skills they possess. Those are really helpful for us!”

More than just a competition, the IRC also aimed at improving emergency response capabilities, encouraging partnership among global stakeholders, and strengthening resilience in managing disasters. It was also designed for the rescue teams to showcase advanced technologies, tools, and strategies used in emergency response operations, and fortify the capacity of local rescue teams using international standards, protocols, and platforms.

Among the rescue teams, the CamSur Team bagged 1st place in the Deep Well Rescue and Trauma Challenge. “I think the advantage that we have as we perform the two challenges is our own experiences as rescuers. All the skills, collective knowledge, and the capacity-building trainings that we gained from PDRRMC were very essential during the competition,” added Pingol.

Asked about the difficulties that they have encountered, SINSP Vincent Albert Garchitorena of BFP Goa Fire Station, another member of CamSur Team, shared, “Since more of our competitors are INSARAG certified, they have rules and regulations that they follow and they already have the equipment needed as part of their protocol. As for us, we relied more on our experiences in our local rescues. Most of the international rescue teams have equipment that are peculiar to us, like the one used in the ascending technique. But I can say that Philippine rescuers are good when it comes to adaptability. Even without the equipment, we can still do the job safely and productively and speedily.”

He confidently added, “With continued exposure to competitions like this, rescuers become more efficient and proactive in rescue management and this turned out to be a muscle memory to us. Indeed, there’s no such thing as perfect operation, so we really need to have continuous training for us to become more than ready in times of disaster.”

The rescue teams also participated in the Asia Pacific Earthquake Response Exercise, a multi-national event that aims to improve the ability of countries to respond to earthquakes and other disasters. It aimed to improve the interoperability of international assistance during emergency disaster response.

After the international competition, the CamSur PDRRMC plans to apply for UN INSARAG accreditation to become a part of the global network of countries and organizations that share knowledge about urban search and rescue and operational field coordination. AG