Port Vila, 24th October 2018 — A Provincial Emergency Response Team Training (PERT) was held last week in Santo, involving 27 Branch officers and their volunteers from Torba, Sanma, Penama, Malampa and Tafea. This is the first time that all provincial teams have come together in the one training.
It was a 5 days of intensive training starting from the 15th to the 19th of October 2018, at Banban area, and facilitated by the Disaster Management Team from the Red Cross headquarters in Port Vila.
The aim of this training is to help staff and volunteers at the branch level to refresh their knowledge and understanding of the Red Cross humanitarian mission, starting with the core values of the Seven Fundamental Principles that guide the mission of Red Cross around the world.
During theory sessions, participants were reminded about the importance of preparedness before, during and after a disaster, as well as the disaster response cycle. They learned how to do different types of assessments, obtain accurate household data, analyse information collected, and to write a situation report.
Participants were able to understand better the function of the Emergency Operation Centre, including the National Society’s structure in times of emergencies, and resource mobilisation including the operations and functions of the logistics department, with an emphasis on warehouse management.
This year is the first time to bring all together all branches staffs and volunteers in a PERT, as normally the ERT is conducted separately in each province.
According to the Disaster Management Team, this training allowed all participants to have a better understanding on Red Cross disaster response operations plan. The participants also undertook simulation exercises planned during the night and day to prepare for different situations.
For Branch Officers, the training enabled them to clearly understand their roles and responsibilities, and to become more confident as they will be taking the lead to implement the plan of action in an emergency in the community level.