The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) will be creating systems in mining communities to be first responders in the event of mining related accidents, according to a GINA report.
The commission will be working with the Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) of Regions Seven, Eight and Nine to create Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs).
Deputy Director General of the CDC, Kester Craig noted that these are regions with mining concessions and the teams are part of the risk reduction efforts by the commission to respond to accidents. It is usually the region or the community which is the first to lend assistance in the event of an accident.
“If something like that happens, first and foremost you will have a team with the necessary equipment and resources to go and help to remove the injured and try to take them to safe locations like the hospitals or medical facilities within the regions,” Craig was quoted by GINA as saying in a recent interview.
The CDC does not work directly with the mining sector, but Craig said, that training in risk reduction is provided to sector agencies such as the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).
Further, the CDC shares all its plans and policies with these sector agencies “so that they can review and see how they can incorporate it in their programme and their mandate,” Craig added.
The CDC also assists the mining sector in developing proper responses to disaster, as well as advises the sector on resources that are needed to respond in the event of a disaster.
