CARRASCAL, Surigao del Sur — As part of the company’s emergency preparedness measures, Marcventures Mining and Development Corporation’s (MMDC) Safety Department recently held its company-wide fire drill.
The activity is in line with MMDC’s emergency management system that emphasizes year-round training, equipping, exercising, evaluating, and taking corrective action to maintain the highest safety standards at the mine site.
“The fire drill is conducted every quarter, in compliance with the Annual Safety and Health Program 2018 of MMDC as well as with Mines and Geosciences Bureau’s regulations,” Safety Manager Alfredo Castro Jr. said.
With the assistance of the local fire brigade, the drill seeks to inculcate among employees the proper safety protocols during fire incidents and heighten their emergency preparedness to prevent injuries or loss of life, Castro said.
During the fire drill, MMDC’s Emergency Response Team simulated several emergency scenarios that tested their firefighting skills, first aid response, and medical evacuation.
The ERT’s performance was then evaluated during a postmortem assessment to correct any deficiencies, if any.
Castro said that prior to the fire drill, ERT members underwent a five-day Fire Brigade Training to further hone their firefighting skills.
He also expressed gratitude to all employees and contractors who participated in the event, noting that it was important “that our employees are familiar with fire emergency.”
“We all know that fire may occur not only at the mine site but also in our home, and it is better that we are all prepared in case of fire emergency,” he added.
An industry leader in safety workplace, MMDC is OHSAS 18001-certified (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series) having met international standards to eliminate or minimize risks to personnel in its mine site.