Cebu City acquires P25M rescue gear

A German national from the supplying company, demonstrates how the life saving and safety equipment recently purchased by the CCDRRMC works. (CDN Photo/Jose Santino Bunachita)

THE Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CCDRRMC) has purchased close to P25 million worth of lifesaving and safety equipment.

The equipment includes one spreader, one metal cutter and inflation mats.

“These will be very useful in emergencies like fires, earthquakes, landslides and other disasters where we have to save people who might be trapped in places,” CCDRRMC executive director Simeon Romarate said.

He said the equipment is battery-operated and “maintenance-free” as it’s hydraulic-powered and doesn’t need oil.

Once fully-charged, its battery can last up to six hours of nonstop operation, Romarate told reporters.

A demonstration on how some of the equipment made in Germany worked was conducted.

The disaster management council requested these equipment after the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that hit Cebu and Bohol in Oct. 15 last year.

The budget for the purchase of the equipment worth P24,690,000 was sourced from the Cebu City government’s calamity fund.

Romarate said rescuers had a hard time retrieving the bodies of five people buried under the rubble and debris of the Pasil Fish Market.

The city also purchased two units of high performance cutters with curved blades, two compact combination units, two units of standard combination tools, two rescue ram units, two units of cutter and door opener combination sets.

The equipment likewise included two pieces of heavy rescue set lifting bags, two pieces of rescue saws for laminated glass, metal and wood, and two pieces of small and lightweight glass saws.