DEO officials engage youth showing a keen interest in volunteering their skills, on location at the DEO booth set up in Sky Mall, Haggatt Hall yesterday.
Constituents across local communities have valuable skills, which can be of benefit to the island’s District Emergency Organisations (DEOs).
Victor Layne, Deputy Chair of the St. Michael South-East DEO, acknowledged the above as he spoke with the Barbados Advocate yesterday. His sentiments came as the District Emergency Organisations (DEOs), which represent the volunteer arm of the Department of Emergency Management, held a Public Awareness Day and Volunteer Drive with the setting up of information booths at various locations across the island. Persons were able to learn more about the function and role of the DEOs in their communities and they also had the opportunity to volunteer their assistance.
“Today, this is basically a recruitment drive and also it's an educational drive as well. We are basically sensitising members of the community about the functions of the DEO and how they can sign up and be of assistance,” Layne said, while on location at Sky Mall, Haggatt Hall, St.Michael.
“Many of our community members have a skill that can be very useful, in terms of any disaster or any common community drive that we are going to put on. For instance, we have training in chainsaw management, first aid, community mapping and that is identifying risks and hazards in your community like blocked water courses, utility lines that need clearing from trees and vines, broken hydrants etc,” he added.
“So today we are looking to build the base of the DEO, because there are many vulnerable persons in our constituencies, persons that are disabled, persons that have medical conditions, are elderly or they just live alone and in times of disaster, these persons will really need our assistance. The DEM cannot assist everyone in a natural disaster, so we have to play our part as community citizens and good residents, to look after our own, especially the most vulnerable. So today, this is what this recruitment is about, to expand and basically have a stronger community DEO presence in most constituencies,” Layne said.
By all reports, the response from the public was good and the youth especially showed a keen interest in the DEOs’ drive, which was heartening to the DEO personnel involved.