Smart preps up for emergencies, disasters

• Source: http://punto.com.ph/News/Article/23093/Volume-9-No-7/Headlines/Smart-preps-up-for-emergencies-disasters
• Tuesday, July 28, 2015 7:49 pm

By Ashley Manabat

CLARK FREEPORT – In order to enhance their skills with their vehicles as first responders in times of emergencies, 35 engineers of Smart Telecommunications underwent a whole day training exercise at the Sacobia River here using their 4x4 pick-up trucks.

Club Overland, headed by Dale Nepomuceno, provided the basic offroad training program last Tuesday for Smart’s maintenance engineers who double up as the telco’s emergency response team (ERT) in times of emergencies.

“We teach them to familiarize with their vehicles and how to use them,” Nepomuceno said.

“Club Overland provides basic techniques on safety, recovery and how to use their equipment or 4x4 vehicles,” he added.

JC Soliman, Club Overland vice president, said they also teach the Smart ERT on the mechanical aspects of their vehicles.

“Because they are not fully trained, they think it’s always 4x4 but actually it’s not,” he said.

Rowel Selom, operations and maintenance manager of Smart Telecommunications for North Luzon, said 22 4x4 pick-up trucks were used in the training with 35 personnel.

Selom explained that their engineers who double as ERT first responders need to enhance their 4x4 basic driving skills which they can maximize in times of emergencies.

He said even if under normal situations 90 percent of the terrain is on highways, the rest or the 10 percent is usually mountainous terrains.

“But after disaster strikes, the terrain changes dramatically,” he added.

“We are here to learn more techniques from Club Overland,” he said.

Selom said the Smart ERT has also trained on “Surviving Hostile” in Subic last year. The ERT also underwent First Aid Training with the Red Cross as well as “Working Tower Heights” where their personnel learned climbing and rappelling on masts and towers.

He said Smart ERT undergoes yearly refresher courses. But ordinarily, Selom said Smart engineers operate and maintain their cell sites in North Luzon or from Aparri to Bulacan covering Regions 1,2,3 and CAR.

“Our objective is how to respond properly especially when disaster strikes,” he explained.

Smart ERT is under the Telecom Cluster of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).

In the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013, Selom said Smart responded with two batches of ERTs onboard a C-130 staying for one week at a time in Tacloban. He said it was the most challenging disaster response they ever made because dead corpses littered the streets and food and sanitary facilities were scarce if not non-existent.

The Smart ERT also experienced responding to Typhoons Mario, Glenda and Pepeng in Pangasinan as well as the rains from Habagat.

Selom said telecommunication towers collapse during disasters and their first priority is to set up communication lines like the mobile MEOW or multi-elements on wheels or the COW (cell site on wheels) which is bigger.

The whole day training was held at the Sacobia River simulating different movements on the ground as well as certain terrains under conditions that the ERT might be encountering in the field.

Club Overland is a group of 4x4 hobbyists and outdoor adventure seekers based in Pampanga.