Lifesaving advocate group preps youth on emergency response

SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA: A volunteer organization urged local government units in this province to prepare younger members of the communities for emergency response during calamities. The Dao Lifesaving Advocates (DLA) said it is ready to provide free disaster risk reduction and management training, particularly on Basic Life Support and Basic Water Safety (BWS) among youth to prepare them for emergency cases. Charlie Tacda, who went through various trainings from the Philippine Red Cross and the Philippine Lifesavers Society, said in an interview Friday that he started the DLA in his hometown to capacitate the youth during calamities and other emergencies. The group has recently trained 30 young people of Dao on BWS. The one-day training on BWS was conducted for the first time among members of the Sangguniang Kabataan to them respond when they encounter drowning. He said that Dao, formerly Tobias Fornier, is a coastal municipality that needs more people trained on BWS. 'The BWS training is also needed d ue to the flashfloods that usually happen in the upland areas of the municipality,' he said. The training is free of charge but trainees are encouraged to share food and the rental cost of the training venue. 'So far, we have started to conduct training in Dao for the youth so they could respond during emergencies and help their family members and communities,' Tacda said. He said his group is also open to facilitating training in other towns. Source: Philippines News Agency