Help is here with ROVER in times of emergencies, disaster response

MINERVA BC NEWMAN

CEBU CITY –A start-up emergency responder group of young professionals and college students can now be tapped by communities and local government units in Cebu to assist them in times of emergency, disaster response and trainings.

The Rescue Operation Volunteers and Emergency Responders Corp., (ROVER) was borne out of need and necessity when these group of friends belonging to different outdoor enthusiast clubs are gathered during emergencies and disasters as volunteers/responders.

   

“The group started with 24 members when we registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as we see the need to be formally organized because we noted that people in the communities are very much lacking and ill-equipped with trainings and skills on emergency responses,” ROVER president John Carl Ngujo said.

Now the group has 53 members mostly air force reservists and volunteer responders having that common advocacy of helping others by sharing their skills and knowledge on everything about survival in times of disasters and emergencies, Ngujo added.

According to Caesar Noel Salvan, ROVER treasurer that the group is a free-standing composite emergency light response search and rescue unit with a purpose to respond to disasters, emergencies, and other major calamities within Cebu.  They are categorized as part of the Civilian Volunteers Organization (CVO), and a non-partisan entity.

Some of the members are former Red Cross volunteers, mountaineers, bush craft and survival practitioners, and licensed amateur radio operators. Current members are composed of professional individuals with specific skills in the field of medical, education, finance, engineering, and information technology, he bared.

Most of the funds they use for their operations come from their own pockets and all personal protective equipment (PPEs) used during trainings and response operations are mostly personal ownership of members, Salvan said.

ROVER’s mission according to Salvan is to provide the highest quality and up-to-date emergency medical services available to the communities they serve, as well as facilitate first aid education and basic life support training with core values as Respect for Others, Sense of Ownership, Volunteerism, Education and Training, and Resilience.

Salvan bared that initial plan of the founding members was for ROVER to be a stand-by medic and communicators for big private or public events only. However, there were individuals that took notice of its services and requested to conduct first aid and basic life support training to their organization. Thus, the tag line or what they call their duty “Uncompromising Safety and Readiness” was coined.

Salvan said that ROVER has been conducting trainings on first aid and basic life support to a barangay as requested by their Barangay Captain here in Cebu and every weekend to a technical school in Mandaue City.

ROVER trainings for individuals and companies include Basic First Aid (BFA); Basic Life Support (BLS); Outdoor 101; Wilderness First Aid (WFA); Bush Craft and Survival Skills; Motor Vehicular Accident (MVA) Helmet Removal; Basic Vehicle Crash Rescue Extrication; Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Operation; and Other Disaster Preparedness Training.

The group’s training and other activities that were lined up were put on hold during the lockdown as a result of the pandemic.  But now with the restrictions of movements lifted, some individuals have already expressed interest in joining the group, Salvan revealed.

The group is continuously improving its operations through training, state-of-the-art rescue tools acquisition, and member preparation to provide the best possible emergency patient care and community service.

Since ROVER is just a start-up volunteer group, its limited available equipment and logistics is always a challenge. Thus, they are continuously looking for kind donors for support so they could meet the growing demands for their volunteer services.

Those interested to join or help provide response tools and materials to ROVER can send an email to rover.emergencyrescue@gmail.com or contact mobile numbers 0916-246-2119 (Globe) and 256-4519 (landline).