Responders, students train for emergency casualty care

CEBU, Philippines — Responders from different agencies, alongside students, underwent a two-day Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) training and simulation exercise as part of a continuing campaign to improve emergency preparedness for multi-hazard situations, especially in schools.

The training was initiated by the Philippine United Emergency Rescue Services Alliance (PUERSA) as it strengthened its efforts to prepare schools and emergency responders for high-risk incidents.

The training was held at Don Sergio Osmeña Sr. Memorial National High School in Barangay Labangon, Cebu City, from June 27 to 28.

It culminated in a full-scale simulation on Saturday that reenacted a school shooting scenario, bringing together students, police officers, firefighters, medical responders, and emergency rescue personnel to demonstrate coordinated responses during active threat situations.

The exercise formed part of PUERSA’s continuing campaign to improve emergency preparedness for multi-hazard scenarios, particularly human-induced incidents such as shootings and bombings.

Dr. Ted Esquerra, one of the instructors, said the training was designed to prepare both students and emergency responders for incidents that have become increasingly relevant due to the recent presence of violence.

“We are doing the training, both the students and the emergency rescue teams, to address multi-hazard scenarios, particularly anthropogenic hazards such as bombings or shooting incidents,” Esquerra said.

He stressed that responders should not wait for tragedies to happen before equipping themselves with the necessary skills.

“As responders, we should be able to address those kinds of hazards so that we can shorten the gap of incapability. We have to prepare for all forms of hazards through training,” he added.

The simulation featured three major components: teaching students how to react and seek safety during an active shooter incident, providing life-saving trauma care to victims, and demonstrating unified operations among police officers, military personnel, firefighters, and emergency responders.

Esquerra emphasized that large-scale emergencies cannot be managed by law enforcement alone but rather require a specialized set of responders.

“It is a wide-scale problem. It cannot be handled only by the police or the military. Specialized responders also need to be involved,” he said.

The TECC program equips participants with practical life-saving skills such as controlling massive bleeding, managing airways, stabilizing casualties, and safely evacuating victims before they are transported to hospitals.

Dr. Roy Trinidad, a trauma surgeon, combat medic corpsman, and TECC instructor, said the first day of training focused on managing individual injuries, while the second day allowed participants to apply those lessons in emergency situations.

He noted that uncontrolled bleeding remains the leading preventable cause of death in trauma cases, followed by tension pneumothorax.

“Hopefully, with the skills they acquired, they will be more prepared should a similar situation happen,” he said.

Trinidad said he and his fellow instructors have been conducting similar training sessions for the past five years to promote better pre-hospital emergency care.

“The condition of patients when they arrive at the emergency room largely depends on how they were managed at the scene. Good management gives them a greater chance of survival. Poor management sometimes results in patients arriving dead on arrival,” he said.

Capt. Don Azarcon, founder of PUERSA and a combat medic, said the organization’s primary goal is to train young people to become capable first responders.

“This is an eye-opener, especially after recent incidents. We want to train more institutions in emergency response, disaster response, and road accident management,” Azarcon said.

He revealed that PUERSA is already coordinating with school officials to expand the drills beyond student volunteers.

“We are planning to conduct drills involving both teachers and students, similar to earthquake and fire drills, so that everyone will be ready should an emergency occur,” he said.

Azarcon hopes that the training and simulation will inspire more schools and institutions to invest in emergency preparedness and life-saving education, ensuring that both responders and ordinary citizens are equipped to act effectively during critical situations.

Erald Geyrozaga, head and adviser of the School Emergency Response Team (SERT) at Don Sergio Osmeña Sr. Memorial National High School, welcomed the partnership with PUERSA, calling it a significant boost to the school’s disaster preparedness program.

He said the knowledge gained by students and teachers would now be integrated into the school’s

disaster preparedness activities.

“We will conduct our own drills and share these learnings with our fellow teachers so that more members of our school community will benefit,” he said.

Geyrozaga added that while many schools have emergency response organizations, their partnership with professional responders has elevated the capability of the school’s rescue team.

The school, which currently has a population of around 3,000, has also strengthened campus security following isolated incidents in previous years involving prohibited bladed objects.

Geyrozaga said security personnel have been instructed to conduct stricter inspections of students’ bags to prevent dangerous items from entering the campus.

He also disclosed that additional closed-circuit television cameras have been installed, particularly on the second floor of school buildings, to enhance campus monitoring and security. (CEBU NEWS)