Friday, August 22, 2008

Final Training Class Or The Beginning

How does one know if they have made an impact?

After all the hours and hours of training sessions, exercises, discussions, etc., can one be so sure that the messages that we brought to the region will be continued once we leave.

Were our Train-the-trainer sessions effective?

During the last week in the region, we had the opportunity to see first hand, as two instructors enhanced their material with content that was provided during the training and exercise evaluation we delivered over the past month.

But the impact was more than that. When attending the planning session at the ports, a few weeks ago, there was some concern on my part as to the true readiness for a full-scale exercise.


There is no question, that steps are now in place to ensure they will be ready and that all the agencies will be able to work together. A team that will successfully operate under the Incident Command System (ICS) structure.


The Contingency Planng and Incident Command System (ICS) Training for BEST on CIQS* demonstrated just that, were we had the opportunity to participate in the training session and evaluate two tabletop exercises (Seaport Hazmat Spill and Airport Bombing).

But this did not have just an impact on Region XI, but other areas as well. Through a grant from Australia, these instructors will also be presenting their newly enhanced material at:

  • Cotabato (ARMM)
  • Palawan (Region IV)
  • Zambanga (Region IX)
  • Cagayan de Oro City (Region X)
  • General Santos City (Region XII)
*BEST - BIMP (Bruei Darussalam Indonesia Malaysia Philippines) EAGA (East Asia Growth Area) Support Team
*CIQS - Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Security


It was interesting to see that Asia Pacific appears to place a greater focus on Quarantine compared to other more developed regions.

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