The National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) within the Ministry of Provincial
Development, Multi-Ethnic Affairs, Disaster Management and Sugar will implement
professional training for divisional planners, district officers, Roko Tuis and other
Central/Eastern personnel in Suva the week of February 8th 2010.
The training will be in Emergency Operations Centres (EOC) and Initial Damage
Assessment (IDA) and is supported by The Asia Foundation (TAF) through the
USAID Office of U.S.
Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) funded Pacific Disaster Risk Management
Programme, which is implemented in collaboration with the Pacific Islands Applied
Geoscience Commission’s (SOPAC) Community Risk Programme. National support
has been provided by the Ministry through the National Disaster Management Office
(NDMO).
Both the EOC and IDA courses have been developed through the TAF/OFDA Pacific
Disaster Risk Management (Training) Programme (PDRMP), which has supported
disaster management capacity development for Fiji and other Pacific Island countries
since 1995.
The purpose of the EOC course is to provide knowledge and skills necessary for the
establishment, operation, management and administration of Emergency Operations
Centres (EOC). For Fiji this is at national, provincial and district levels.
The IDA training provides participants with skills and knowledge to conduct initial
damage assessments immediately following a disaster to assist responsible agencies to
better determine immediate relief requirements. IDA introduces a process with tools
and techniques required to conduct successful initial damage assessments in support
of national Governments plan and arrangements.
This week’s training also provides opportunity for individuals to develop partnerships
and networks among their organizations and agencies in their divisions to ensure a
more integrated approach to disaster management, focusing on better response.
The training will be held at the Centre for Training and Development, Nasese from
Monday 8th February to Friday 12th February. The resource team for the EOC/IDA
training will be made up primarily of national trainers including Mr Anthony Blake,
Ms Joana Koroituinakelo, Ms Selai Korovusere, Mr Mohammed Riazz Khan, and Mrs
Shakuntla Kumar.