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PATIENT --- Blood
pressure of a woman who visited the Cotabato City Public Cemetery on November 1
is checked by an Emergency Medical First Responder of the Bangsamoro Rescue
Team (BARET). The old woman got nearly fainted due to intense heat of the sun.
This is part of the free medical services given by the team. (GILMHAR A. LAO)
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COTABATO CITY- The Bangsamoro Rescue Team (BARET)
strengthens once more its “Operation Undas 2016” campaign with the aim to
ensure the safety of constituents in this city who observed the All Saints' Day
and All Souls Day last November 1 and 2.
Datu Hasaad S. Sinsuat, BARET Chief for Planning
and Operation, said an emergency medical team was deployed at the Cotabato City
Public Cemetery and provided medical assistance to the families who visited
their departed ones.
“We deployed at least ten emergency medical first
responders ready to help. Accordingly, we have attended to at least twenty
patients who visited our public cemetery,” said Sinsuat.
Wilfred Bullet P. Celis Jr., BARET Chief for
Training and Logistics, said they have also extended free medical services and
put up a first aid station for the public.
“Some of the medical services we’ve given include
blood pressure taking, assistance in taking prescribed medicine maintenance to
the patient, first aid management for heat and sun stroke, shock, hyper ventilation,
open wound dressing, ice application for sprained ankle, and closed wound,”
said Celis.
Aladdin B. Palanggalan, President and CEO of BARET,
said he is elated that the city government of Cotabato has mapped out their
rerouting plans earlier, and did close coordination to ensure a peaceful and
orderly All Saints and All Souls holiday.
“Everything is in order. We noticed the mobile
patrol units, traffic enforcers, police personnel and medical teams have been
strategically posted throughout the city,” said Palanggalan.
Palanggalan said BARET was officially organized on
14 November 2013, when the call for mitigation and preparedness arises due to
various natural and human induced disasters frequently experienced in the
Bangsamoro homeland.
The team’s primary mission is to save the greatest
number of lives and minimize injuries to victims during emergency. It is bound to
gather more skilled individuals to share their expertise and serve the peoples
in need in time of calamities and/or preparedness.
“We would want to promote a culture of safety and
resilience as continuing investment in educating and training to transform the
thinking and practices of the people in the communities, establish monitoring
and response teams during emergencies and/or disasters, forge linkages between
and among local, national and international entities, and attain and maintain a
rational and orderly balance between socio-economic growth and environmental
protection through sustainable use of resources, development, management and
conservation of the Bangsamoro’s natural resources,” said Palanggalan.
Palanggalan added the team offers the following
programs and services: Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, Food Security,
Emergency Nutrition, Training Services, Youth Development and Humanitarian.
“Our Emergency Response Unit includes Medical
Responders and the Search and Rescue or the SAR. For the SAR, it is composed of
two (2) group, the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) and the Water Search and
Rescue (WASAR). USAR specializes rescue skills to locate trapped persons in
collapsed structures and other entrapment due to natural disasters and
collapsed trenches, using standard array of tools, equipment and supplies
suitable for teams at Light, Medium and Heavy operational levels. WASAR on the
other hand, specializes rescue skills on proper water entry, types of swimming,
lifesaving, group survival, water evolution and knot tying,” said Palanggalan. (GILMHAR A. LAO – MINDANAO EXPOSE’)
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