Lt. Col. Stanley E. Toy, chief of JTF-HD U.S. Army Pacific, yesterday said the participants won’t be able to have a hands-on workshop on the topics they are discussing during the week because the actual workshop on emergency response activities needs more preparation.
“Maybe we can prepare for actual hands-on activities in the future work shops that we will be conducting,” Toy said.
They will be visiting facilities like airports and seaports.
He said this is the sixth workshop of its kind on Saipan since 2006.
“These workshops and training sessions are very important so that all the concerned departments like the Emergency Management Office, the Commonwealth Ports Authority, the Red Cross, the Department of Public Safety and other agencies can have a systematic way of responding to emergencies and they already know what to do,” Toy said.
“It is important that they will be able to establish a synchronized system and not meet with each other for the first time when emergencies arise,” he added.
Toy said the workshop provides an avenue for a brainstorming session with all the concerned agencies.
“Each agency presents their response plans, recovery operations, roles and responsibilities, methods of communication and other issues of concern. We come up with ways on how to coordinate and synchronize the systems so we can work as one to alleviate the hazards,” he said.
Toy said possible disasters and emergencies that may arise on Saipan may vary — from natural to man-made calamities, like typhoons, airline crashes, ship and other sea-related accidents.
“On a small island like Saipan, we need to utilize all resources available at hand,” Toy said.
Yesterday, the participants were given a glimpse of different scenarios involving airport disasters and how to conduct emergency response in a video presentation.
The workshop, funded by the U.S. Pacific Command, started on Monday at the Pacific Islands Club.
