EOC training for Western Emergency Responders

The National Emergency Response Team (NERT) of the National Disaster Operations Committee (N-DOC) has successfully conducted a training for Provincial Emergency Response Teams (PERT) in Gizo last week.

The training focuses on how an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) functions which suit provincial level to help them carry out their COVID-19 preparedness and response plan in the Western Province Emergency Zone.

National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) Chief Operations Officer and trainer, George Baragamu, explain the roles and responsibilities of key people operating in the EOC and gives participants an understanding of the Provincial Disaster Operations Committee (P-DOC) sector committees, NGO’s and an overview of the operational mechanism put in place under the National Disaster Management Plan 2018 arrangement.

An exercise is also conducted to test the provincial sector’s response plans base on scenarios of a COVID-19 case.

Chair of the Western P-DOC who is also the Provincial Police Commander (PPC), Chief Superintendent Mathias Lenialu said they are thankful for the timely training which should help them re-align the gaps and areas which needs strengthening through the sector response plans.

“There are gaps which needs strengthening in how we coordinate from the N-DOC and down to P-DOC.

“We will continue to work on our preparedness and response plans with all sectors and communicate through our national sectors,” Commander Lenialu remarked during the closing of the one-day training.

Participants at the training session are provincial sector members of Health, Protection, Camp Management, Livelihood, Police, Education, Red Cross and Provincial staffs.

Operation Centres were designated at Gizo Provincial Disaster Office with plans of establishing On-Site Operations Coordination Centres (OSOCC) in strategic locations across Western Province due to its geographical make-up. NERT consists of a deployable team of public servants and private sectors personnel’s trained under United Nations United Nations Disaster Assessment Coordination Team (UNDAC) methodology last year. Their focus is on immediate and swift response when disaster strikes.