Strengthening DRRM in Health through Command, Communication, and Collaboration

March 24, 2025

Text by Cherry Madrideo
Photos by the Disaster Risk Reduction Management in Health Program

*The participants of the BERST assumed their positions in the Incident Command System simulation.*

The Disaster Risk Reduction Management in Health Program (DRRM-H) conducted its third Basic Emergency Response Team Simulation Training (BERTST): Command, Communication, and Collaboration on Mar. 17 and 18, 2025, in the DRRM-H Conference Room.

The 13 participants, consisting of local government unit (LGU) representatives, a human resource officer, an engineer, students, and nurses, came together to learn outcome-based training through lectures, discussions, tabletop exercises, and simulation. The Emergo Train System (ETS), an educational tool that uses magnetic symbols on whiteboards to simulate the roles of patients, responders, and logistics to train and assess the performance of responders during emergencies, and the XVR Simulation, a software showing realistic scenarios, were used during the exercise. Written assessments and evaluations were also administered.

Jose Luis Domingo, director of the Emergency Center Management Inc., lectured on the incident command system (ICS) and effective communication during emergencies. He underscored the importance of adhering to instructions and commands based on assigned roles—incident commander, liaison, operations medic, logistics, public information, finance, planning, and safety officer. He emphasized the need for clear, timely, and efficient communication throughout disaster management. Dr. Patrick Joseph Tiglao, an Emergency Medicine physician and UP-PGH Medical Specialist II, discussed collaboration during emergencies. He focused on establishing norms and processes and resolving issues based on conflict of interests during emergencies in accordance with the framework and legal basis for collaboration. Dr. Fernando Mcdonald Valbuena, UP-PGH Medical Officer III, guided the designated medical officer during the simulation. Reinna May Cortez and Ralph Laurence Visaya, DRRM-H project staff, led the facilitation of the training.

The DRRM-H conducts its series of disaster virtual reality training, BERST and Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) and Triage, until June 2025. It also accepts invitations for simulation training sessions from localities and municipalities.

The DRRM-H may be contacted through 88141-279 / 09060593124 and via its email upm-drrmh-list@up.edu.ph.