The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. To support the continued development of disaster response capabilities of the Philippines’ government, Public Safety Canada is collaborating with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) by leveraging the Technical Assistance Partnership – Expert Deployment Mechanism (TAP-EDM) to provide technical assistance related to urban search and rescue (USAR). Charged with providing national leadership, the OCD is responsible for continuously developing systemic approaches and measures to reduce disaster risks and consequences.
Coordinated by David Larkin and Annie Ste-Croix from Public Safety Canada’s National HUSAR Program, this initiative deploys expertise in responding to large-scale emergencies and disasters from four federally recognized HUSAR Task Forces — CAN-TF1 (Vancouver), CAN-TF2 (Calgary), CAN-TF4 (Manitoba), and CAN-TF5 (Halifax). During the first phase of this initiative, Canadian HUSAR experts Dennis Pitts (CAN-TF5), Eric Barron (CAN-TF1), Scott Kerbis (CAN-TF-4), and Evan Stewart (CAN-TF2) facilitated informational exchanges on USAR models, best practices, and equipment with representatives from the OCD in the Philippines. The second phase of this initiative will see Canada’s HUSAR teams continue to support the development of the OCD’s operational response capabilities through the provision of additional technical learning opportunities and demonstrations in Canada.