The Basic Emergency Response Team Simulation Training (BERTST) is not your typical training program. Facilitated by the UP Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in Health (DRRM-H) Center, the mix of participants from the public and private sectors – experienced and not experienced – not only learned how to conduct themselves during emergencies, respond to crises accordingly and most efficiently but also apply the new set of skills in a nerve-wracking two-day training.
Held last October 29-30, 2024, the training was designed to equip the participants with the basics of command, control, communication, and collaboration during emergencies. Structured around three comprehensive modules, not a second was wasted as each session starts off with concise but insightful lectures, followed by case studies, and tabletop and hands-on simulations. The training kept the participants on their toes!
The course maximized two immersive training tools: the Emergo Train System (ETS) and the XVR Simulation. The said tools simulated context-based and real-world crises, and are widely used by practitioners in the safety and security field. The ETS is a simulation system used for education and training in emergency and disaster management. Using magnetic symbols that may represent equipment, casualties, and varying human assets, the ETS lets participants simulate critical response actions in a resource-limited environment – a situation almost every Filipino is familiar with. Meanwhile, the XVR simulated scenarios triggered and prompted by the participants’ response actions. Through this system, participants can experience emergencies in virtual reality, honing decision-making skills while under pressure. These methods allowed participants to visualize and execute strategies in a tangible, close-to-reality, and more interactive setup. Not to mention, superb roleplaying by the facilitators themselves made the scenario at hand more nuanced and realistic.
Participants navigate and alternate through the different roles in the incident command system. Everyone had the chance to be the incident commander, operations head, planning, finance, logistics, liaison, public information, evacuation, search and rescue, security and safety, and firefighting teams; gaining a well-rounded perspective on disaster response and putting premium into synergistic collaboration among peers and colleagues. After each simulation, a feedback session from the facilitators and observers is done to provide participants with points for improvement and things to keep in mind.
The University of the Philippines Resilience Institute (UPRI) was represented by Ms. Aira Joy Angeles, Mx. Mape Estellena, from the Research and Creative Work Division, and Mr. Rizaldy David, Education Division respectively.