VOLUNTEERS attached to the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) were trained to respond to an oil spill and provide emergency response in any situation.

Mitigation and Recovery Manager (Ag) of the CDC, Allana Walters, said the training, which was organised by the CDC and ExxonMobil, is part of the Voluntary Emergency Response Team (VERT) project.

“We are at a stage where Guyana is becoming more risk-aware and it is only fitting that we prepare to manage and reduce those risks,” said Walters in an invited comment at Park Rayne on Wednesday.

The three-day training aims to build the competence of VERT and improve the team’s ability to respond to emergency situations. “It is not just for oil spills but also incident command systems…so it is gearing the volunteers to provide emergency response in any situation,” said Walters. Upon completion of the training, the CDC’s cadre of 42 volunteers will be able to support the work of the commission not just across Guyana, but also in the Caribbean.

ExxonMobil’s Global Oil Spill Response Adviser, Tommy Tomblin, said apart from theoretical knowledge, participants will receive practical exposure during a deployment training session at Splashmin’s Resort.
He said the training not only improves the work of the CDC, it increases the capacity of ExxonMobil locally.