First Manila rescue march challenge

MANILA, Philippines – The first RESCUE MARCH (Mass Assembly for Rescue and Care for Humanity) CHALLENGE will be held on Sunday, August 3, at 4 am.

Rescue Squads in Metro Manila (national, local government units, volunteer and corporations) will assemble at Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig and will march along C5 road, ending at Quezon City Circle.

A total of  400 rescuers (from MMDA Rescue Battalion, AFP Rescue Units, local disaster risk reduction and management offices and rescue teams, volunteer rescue and EMS groups, and private institutions will join the march.

Participating rescue squads (7man-squad) are required to be dressed in their respective rescue uniforms with PPEs (personal protective equipment), rigged with backpacks and other life-saving gadgets. They are also expected to be self-contained during the march by carrying their own water and food provisions. The event will end with a camaraderie breakfast at the target area in Quezon City Circle.

This is a simulation response-exercise to a magnitude 7.2 earthquake scenario in Metro Manila that assumes breakdown of basic infrastructure in which rescuers have to travel on foot with their rescue equipment.  This is not a competition but rather a collective assessment of the response capability (individual rescuer physical endurance/unit capability) of each rescue unit and the inter-operability of different rescue organizations in the National Capital Region (NCR).

The 1^st RESCUE MARCH CHALLENGE is organized by ORANGE HELMETS, a humanitarian and emergency response operator (HERO) force multiplier group supported by MMDA, Extribe (race and triathlon organizer), and the Emergency Response Integration Center (ERIC).

For inquiries, you can reach ORANGE HELMETS lead convenor Martin Aguda, Jr at (0917)8098088 and martin.aguda@gmail.com. – Rappler.com