US to train Pinoy law enforcers on WMD

The United States will train Filipino law enforcers on the aspects of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) as part of the counter-terrorism cooperation program.

The agencies that would get the exclusive training include the Bureau of Fire Protection/Special Rescue Unit, Philippine National

Police Special Action Force, PNP Bomb Data Center, Department of Health, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Makati City local government, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Public Safety College, and the Office of Civil Defense.

The agencies will undergo a three-week training program on safely resolving incidents involving chemical, biological, and radiological agents and weapons.

The US Department of State’s Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program (ATA) sponsored the WMD First Responder Operations seminar. It is one of several training seminars conducted in the Philippines since 2005 under the ATA Program and co-sponsored and held at the Philippine Public Safety College.

The program is designed for public safety, security, and emergency medical personnel responding to cases involving WMD.

The participants will be given hands-on and practical training that mixed classroom lectures with simulated emergency field exercises.

The exercise teaches participants how to respond to an RDD, more commonly known as a "dirty bomb."

During the exercise, the team will react to a simulated RDD and undergo the required procedures which include the setting up of a decontamination area, donning a personal protective equipment, and retrieving victims out from a contaminated area.

Participants will be taught how to differentiate WMD from other hazardous material incidents, how to recognize elements of imminent WMD threat, and how to take steps to mitigate the impact of these emergencies.

At the conclusion of training, the participants will be designated as "first responders" to the scene of an emergency environment that includes chemical, biological, or radiological contamination. — Pia Lee-Brago