Belmopan - 15 July, 2008
A three-day training course entitled “Incident Command Applications” got underway today at the George Price Center in Belmopan.
The course deals with the chain of command that should be followed by
first-responders in the event of any agricultural disaster or health
emergency situation in Belize. These first-responders would include,
among others, personnel from the Belize Agriculture Health Authority,
(BAHA); the Ministry of Health, the National Emergency Management
Organization (NEMO) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
In his opening remarks, Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of
Agriculture and Fisheries, Gabino Canto, mentioned that training in the
Incident Command System is essential because any response to whatever
cause, must have a proper and dynamic structure, if it is to be
appropriate, efficient and effective.
CEO Canto said that in agriculture, they have already conducted
emergency response desktop exercises, for foreign animal diseases such
as foot and mouth disease, avian influenza and classical swine fever;
but that they have had little input from first responders other that
from the agricultural staff. “Thus, I am quite pleased to note that in
this training we see not only BAHA personnel but also personnel from
NEMO, the Ministry of Health and the United States Department of
Agriculture”, Mr. Canto pointed out.
The need for countries to have a tested Emergency Preparedness and
Response Plan for Avian Influenza and Influenza Pandemic led to the
formation in Belize of a disaster mitigation plan under NEMO, with the
Ministry of Agriculture chairing this particular committee. This was
done because it was realized that an effective response to a highly
contagious animal or human disease outbreak requires coordination of
not only the critical disease control response, but of the many
expected activities needed to support those specialized functions.
Mr. Canto concluded his address to the participants saying, “The
Government of Belize continues to be committed to safeguarding national
security, public health and the health status of our animals,
especially food animals. By your presence and active participation
during the three days workshop, I can see that you too are committed to
safeguarding the health and life of people and animals in Belize.”
Mr. John E. Roberts of JER Consulting LLC, is leading the training and
the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is sponsoring the
event.
END
