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Emergencies and Disasters "VOLCANO II"

Proper emergency plan for a possible natural disaster, can be prepared and take appropriate action. That is why Land Operations Command, the Fourth Army Division and Chile's National Emergency Office Home Office have conspired to make the training exercise for disaster management "Volcano II."

In the city of Coyhaique developed the second version of the exercise of emergencies and disasters, in a situation of disaster by volcanic eruption, called "Volcano II" held in the vicinity of Hudson volcano. The area still remember tragedies like the Aysen Fjord, so assume that it is better to be prepared for the possibility of further natural disasters, no doubt, are part of life in the Chilean Patagonia.

activity, organized by the Army of Chile and the National Emergency Office of the Ministry of Interior (ONEMI), was carried out successfully in the premises of the Fourth Army Division, in the capital of the Aysen Region, located in Coyhaique, to 1,720 kilometers south of Chile, from 26 to 30 October 2009. Conclusions were drawn for perfecting the Regional Emergency Plan, the central tool for linking the processes, resources and operational functions against an emergency.

Finally, the whole community Aysenina can be calm, because without doubt this drill will be central to an actual emergency, the situation much more bearable and the time for action, action taken will be right.

The exercise, which was supported by the Simulation System for the Management and Training (SIGEN), developed by the Army intends to exercise and training to various military and governmental authorities should intervene to community support to the occurrence of natural disasters, so that coordination in human and material resources was complete.

This exercise was to simulate the eruption of a volcano with the greatest impact in areas surrounding the mountain.

For this reason in the teaching activities and resources involve personnel from different units of the Army, Navy, Air Force and police, along with emergency agencies in the region and municipalities nearby communities affected by the alleged emergency considers "Volcano II", besides establishing coordination with related institutions, such as CONAF, SAG, SERNAGEOMIN, among others.

also invited delegations to attend the exercise of the Southern Command, the Southern Army and National Guard Texas, United States of America.

"Volcano II" is materialized by the Army of Chile with staff and resources of the Fourth Army Division, mainly relief and rescue patrols of the Army (Parma), with use of a modern telecommunications system for command and control units are deployed in the field.

The visit to the city of Coyhaique National Director of ONEMI, Carmen Fernandez, kicked off this disaster simulation exercise. Fernandez spoke about the importance of Chile's army involved the Regional Emergency Plan.

For his part, General Jorge Fuenzalida Rojas, Commander of Land Operations, responsible for leading this drill, said "the main objective is that the civil protection plan work."

The opportunity was also present Mayor of the Region, Selim Carrasco, who was satisfied that the region is carried out such practices to prevent disaster situations.

The simulation was based on software called "Simulation System for Emergency Training " (SIGEN), designed by the Center for Army Tactical Operations Training, through which it seeks to recreate the eruption of a volcano with the greatest impact in areas surrounding the massif, and is intended to train the implementation of the Regional Emergency Plan for the Region of Aysen and thus tending to its improvement.

DISASTER SIMULATION
national director of ONEMI, Carmen Fernández Gibbs, said the regional emergency plan has been updated and approved by the Regional Government, so that through joint efforts civil protection agency and the Army is developing this action to determine the effectiveness of this plan.

"Can not wait to test the emergency plan is effective or not effective, and has been simulated and is simulating a rather complex situation, a variety of related scenarios between volcanic eruption, forest fire and obviously that will allow us to establish gaps and weaknesses that may have this plan, because she only experimental evidence and therefore we will be tending to its improvement and leave the region endowed with much better instruments (...) that have greater effectiveness in the care of people, "said Carmen Fernandez .

is expected that the improvement of the plan is completed in the month of March, while on the run will be checked the recordings and videos of the exercises, so the expected ONEMI errors that may present occur in the exercises, not actual emergencies.

WORKING SOFTWARE
of these actions involved in a coordinated various agencies, ministries, administration, and municipalities.

"The Army developed since 2002 a software training where we participate actively in the perfection of this instrument allows us to do these exercises without risks to people, provided simulation exercises with physical movement involve some degree of risk (...) this allows us to engage in a virtual environment in real time obviously recreate situations and see the effectiveness of planning, "said director National ONEMI.

The activity was attended by representatives of the U.S. Army United, who prioritize the organizational capacity that points to a timely response to manifestations of nature which can prevent mishaps in terms of human lives against disasters.

REACTION CAPACITY AND COORDINATION regional
also the mayor, Selim Carrasco Lobos, said the region is crucial to perform this type of exercise, given the geography of the territory and population distribution, that in more than one occasion, has been exposed to such natural disasters.

"We have had experiences as the eruption of Hudson volcano, earthquakes, major snowstorms targets, emptying of Lake Cachet 2, climate change is strongly affecting the ice fields, certainly what happened a little over two years in the Aysen Fjord where we earthquake and tsunami evacuation which we participated with the major eruption of Chaitén volcano. Undoubtedly, this type of exercise you do with the Army and the participation of all institutions involved with emergencies under the coordination of ONEMI, is fundamental to us because we can learn even more our territory and generating capacity that will be installed in the Aysen region, "said Selim Carrasco.

added that this year we seek to establish their arrangements before a possible disaster, among the armed organizations, civil and private sector companies such as health, telecommunications, fuels, thereby safeguarding the public that the region be technically and professionally prepared to face natural disasters, protect the integrity of the population and ensure the public infrastructure and household wealth.

IMMEDIATE
also the Brigadier General Carlos Mezzano Escanilla, Land Operations commander, said that in 2007 the Army was with all the media, as in Chaitén.

These exercises taking place in the town of Cochrane, Civic adds an operation by doctors and dentists, who these days made visits to the schools of this township, where he also built a barracks operate as a complement to other units stationed in the region, aiming to have military presence and immediate response in the vicinity.

"In an emergency situation or catastrophe such as those experienced in the area over the past two years has led us to think that we needed to develop a military response unit to support the community in Cochrane, which we are already building, "said general Fuenzalida .

added that the work done by the Army suggests that the National Civil Protection Plan developed by the ONEMI works as intended, thus allowing it to situations of disaster response has class that guarantees the least amount of casualties or the lack thereof.

Thus Aysen adds to the national training process of the Regional Plans of Emergency, which ended in March last update. Have already been trained through simulation exercises and drills, Regions plans Antofagasta, Atacama, Coquimbo, Valparaiso and Bio Bio.

state According to the National Service of Geology and Mining (Sernageomin), in Chile there are over 2,000 volcanoes, of which approximately 125 are considered geologically active and about 60 have had some kind of historical eruptive activity in last 450 years.

Along with the technical sessions developed in the Tactical Training Center (CETAC) of Division IV, at the confluence of the estates involved and placed the Emergency Operations Command (EOC), parallel work in the field in the town of Cochrane, civilian and military, who are linked through the command and control of telecommunications "Torrente".