Guidelines on Equipment Positioning and Mobilization in Response to "The Big One" Earthquake

May 27, 2016

DPWH DEPARTMENT ORDER NO. 101-16

 

To provide immediate assistance and support to nearby areas surrounding the Valley Fault System and other affected areas after the occurrence of "The Big One" earthquake, the Guidelines on Equipment Positioning and Mobilization in Response to The Big One Earthquake as herein attached to form part of this Department Order is hereby issued.

Likewise attached herewith are the lists of Quick Response Equipment (QRE), Quick Response Tools (QRT), composition of Quick Response Support Team (QRST) and Quick Response Medical Team (QRMT) based on the lists submitted by every Region in response to Memorandum dated October 19 and December 10, 2015 regarding Pre-positioning and Mobilization Plan of Equipment and Equipment Management Division (EMD) Personnel for the Big One (Disaster Preparedness Plan).

Immediately after the occurrence of The Big One, the Regional Offices, thru the EMD, shall position all available/operational QRE with operator, QRT, QRST and QRMT in accordance to Section 2 of Department Order No. 64, Series of 2016, entitled "Assignment, Utilization, Funding, Operation, Maintenance and Monitoring of Highway Maintenance Equipment and Other Related Purposes". Deployed QRE, QRT, QRST and QRMT should be recorded using BOM-SDMCD Form 2015-04: Assets Deployment, and should be submitted to the Bureau of Maintenance (BOM) and Bureau of Equipment (BOE).

This Order is supplementary to Department Order No. 15, Series of 2015, entitled "Guidelines to Ensure Disaster Preparedness of DPWH Field Offices in Promptly Responding to Typhoons and other Calamities including Criteria in the Release of Calamity Funds" and shall take effect immediately.

For strict compliance.

 

(SGD.) ROGELIO L. SINGSONSecretary

ATTACHMENT

Guidelines on Equipment Positioning and Mobilization in Response to the Big One Earthquake

A. Definition of Terms — For the purposes of this Department Order, the following terms or words and phrases shall mean or be understood as follows: AHDacC

1. Fault — a fracture in the crust of a planet accompanied by a displacement of one side of the fracture with respect to the other usually in a direction parallel to the fracture1

2. Fault line — a line on a rock surface or the ground that traces a geological fault

3. Earthquake — a vibration or sudden undulation of a portion of the earth's crust caused by the splitting or faulting of a mass of rock or by volcanic or other disturbances2

4. Positioning — an act of placing or arranging asset, physical and manpower resources, in a particular position

5. Mobilization — the activation of asset, physical and manpower resources, to bring together to a target site and prepare for action

B. Acronyms

AEE — Area Equipment Engineer

BOE — Bureau of Equipment

BOM — Bureau of Maintenance

CO — Central Office

DE — District Engineer

DEO — District Engineering Office

EMD — Equipment Management Division

EVF — East Valley Fault

GMMA — Greater Metro Manila Area

LGU — Local Government Unit

MMDA — Metropolitan Manila Development Authority

PHIVOLCS — Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology

PM — Preventive Maintenance

PPE — Personal Protective Equipment

QRA — Quick Response Asset

QRE — Quick Response Equipment

QRMT — Quick Response Medical Team

QRST — Quick Response Support Team

QRT — Quick Response Tools

RD — Regional Director

RO — Regional Office

VFS — Valley Fault System

WVF — West Valley Fault

C. Introduction

In the Philippines, one of the known fault systems is the Valley Fault System (VFS), an active fault which consists of two segments: the East Valley Fault (EVF) and the West Valley Fault (WVF), located in the Greater Metro Manila Area (GMMA). It extends to nearby Regions III and IV-A of Luzon, through the provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Cavite, increasing the possible areas to be affected once an earthquake near VFS occurs.

According to Director Renato U. Solidum, Jr. of Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the fault has moved four times in the past 1,400 years. On average, it moves every 400 years (+/-10 to 100 years). The last time an earthquake occurred along the West Valley Fault was in 1658, around 355 years ago. It means it can happen anytime within our lifetime. This fault can generate an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 that may result to a very destructive ground shaking which can cause destruction of infrastructures and loss of lives.3

D. Pre-Disaster Phase

1. Identification of Quick Response Assets

 Quick Response Assets (QRAs) are composed of all available Department's Quick Response Equipment (QRE), Quick Response Tools (QRT), and personnel, composed of Quick Response Support Team (QRST) and Quick Response Medical Team (QRMT), who can provide support and assistance in the clearing and rescue operations after the occurrence of The Big One earthquake.

 Based from the lists submitted by each Region in response to Memorandum dated October 19 and December 10, 2015 on Pre-positioning and Mobilization Plan of Equipment and Equipment Management Division (EMD) Personnel for The Big One (Disaster Preparedness Plan), attached in this Department Order are the lists of QRE, QRT, QRST and QRMT. An updated list of QRAs shall be sent by EMD every end of the month, to the Bureau of Equipment (BOE) which updates the QRA Database.

 For easy identification, prior to deployment, equipment and tools shall have proper decals/markings/identification indicating their DPWH Property Code Number and the Region they come from. Also, personnel shall have identification cards or markings on their clothing indicating the team and Region to which they belong.

1.1 Quick Response Equipment (QRE)

a. Composed of Hydraulic Excavators (F17), Truck Mounted Cranes (F5), Hydraulic Cranes (F6), Truck Mounted Flood Mitigation Equipment (H17), Stake Trucks (H2), Dump Trucks (H3), Truck Tractors/Prime Mover (H4), Maintenance Shop Trucks (H7), Forklifts (H8), Crawler Tractors/Bulldozer (L1), Front End Loaders (L2), Quick Response Trucks, Road Grader (N1) and Service Vehicles (H1). IDSEAH

b. Shall strictly follow the Preventive Maintenance (PM) schedule to ensure their operational condition and shall undergo overall check-up prior to deployment.

c. Equipment currently being utilized on road maintenance projects and other related works should be made ready for immediate deployment.

d. Equipment assigned to remote areas, e.g., island Regions or areas where mobilization will be laborious shall be on stand-by/reserved list in case demand for more equipment arises.

1.1 n Quick Response Tools (QRT)

a. Composed of Generator Sets (G1), Chain Saws (T1), Air Compressors (A1), Arc Welding Machine (W11) and other portable tools.

b. Shall strictly follow the Preventive Maintenance (PM) schedule to ensure their operational condition and shall undergo overall check-up prior to deployment.

1.2 Quick Response Support Team (QRST)

a. Composed of operators, mechanics, welders, carpenters, drivers and any EMD personnel available who can provide technical support and manpower assistance.

b. Each personnel shall be equipped with proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), provided by EMD, before proceeding to any rescue operations.

c. Each unit of equipment shall have a back-up operator/driver in case the designated operator/driver gets injured or affected by the earthquake.

d. In case there are more operators/drivers than the available equipment units for a certain Region, the EMD Chief, upon the approval of the Regional Director (RD), can deploy them to other Regions so as to provide additional manpower support.

1.3 Quick Response Medical Team (QRMT)

a. Composed of nurses, doctors and any personnel who had first aid application training and certification given by Philippine Red Cross or other competent agencies.

b. Shall be equipped with first-aid kit which includes medicines, medical tapes, bandages, wound dressing, antiseptic, tweezers, scissors, safety pins, plastic bags, gloves, etc.

2. Identification of Deployment Area

 The Department's QRAs all over the country are clustered to a particular strategic deployment area to equally allocate support and assistance. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has divided Metro Manila into four quadrants for better evacuation and rescue operations among residents in preparation for the possible movement of the Valley Fault System that may damage the Metro Manila Area. Moreover, Regions III and IV-A are also identified as affected Regions and part of the areas for deployment. The grouping of Affected Areas and Responding Regions are shown in the table below:

 

Affected Areas	Responding
		Regions
	Caloocan City	NCR, I, VII*
North	Valenzuela City
Quadrant	Quezon City
	San Juan City
	Mandaluyong City
East	Pasig City	NCR, II, XI*
Quadrant	Marikina City
West	Manila City	NCR, CAR, X*
Quadrant	Malabon City
	Navotas City
	Las Piñas City	NCR, V, VI
	Makati City
South	Muntinlupa City
Quadrant	Parañaque City
	Pateros City
	Taguig City
	Pasay City
Region III	III, IX, XII*
Region IV-A	IV-A, IV-B, XIII*
* Regions that may prioritize sending of manpower (QRST and/or QRMT) first before equipment (QRE and/or QRT) due to transportation constraints.

 

Equipment assigned to Regions that are expected to be greatly affected by the earthquake namely NCR, Region III and Region IV-A, will be used to assist in their respective Regions but can be operated by personnel from other Regions in case the designated personnel from these Regions will be affected by the earthquake.

This map4shows the Valley Fault System in Luzon. Fault lines are represented by the red lines.

3. Identification of Routes

 In order to have a safe and fast response to affected areas, each Regional Office (RO)/District Engineering Office (DEO) shall have a plan on how to mobilize the equipment towards the assigned deployment area. The following guidelines are hereby recommended:

a. Identify the primary route and all possible alternate routes in case the primary route is rendered impassable due to the effects of earthquake.

b. Provide a map and properly label the streets, roads and landmarks.

c. Mark areas prone to floods, landslides and other calamities.

d. Locate areas prone to accidents like cliffs, steep slopes, bridges, tunnels, etc.

e. Ensure that the drivers/operators are familiar with the routes.

f. Prepare an itinerary of travel and list of possible expenses like fuel, toll fees, and shipping fees, among others.

Upon approval of this Department Order, each RO and DEO shall submit the identified primary and alternate routes within 7 days which shall form as an integral part of this Order.

4. Strategic Planning

a. Conduct quarterly meeting among RO/DEO/EMD personnel, including QRE operators, QRST and QRMT members, to discuss the strategies, plans and updates on the positioning and mobilization of equipment.

b. Issues and concerns raised during these meetings should be consolidated and sent to concerned offices for actions to be immediately taken.

E. Response Phase

1. Coordination with Other Agencies5

 The ROs and DEOs shall coordinate with the Regional/Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council-Office of Civil Defense (R/PDRRMC-OCD) to provide logistic support to the Response Cluster of which the DPWH is a member as mandated in the National Disaster Response Plan (NDRP), to wit:

a. Search, Rescue & Retrieval (SRR);

b. Camp Coordination & Management (CCM);

c. Logistics;

d. Rapid Emergency Telecommunications (RET);

e. Education;

f. Management of the Dead and the Missing (MDM)

2. Coordination with Other DPWH Offices

a. Pursuant to Department Order No. 15, Series of 2015, the RD/District Engineer (DE) concerned shall transmit to the Secretary, thru the Bureau of Maintenance (BOM), the initial assessment of the damages, thru e-mail, fax-telephone or courier, those damages covering at least the Priority I, in the group of Damages Category within six (6) hours after the calamity. (Indicate same under Column 6 of BOM-SDMCD Form 2015-03 as attached in D.O. 15, Series of 2015).

b. After the Valley Fault System collapses and assessment of damages is done, the Office of the Secretary, thru the BOM, shall communicate with the RO/DEOs for clearing and rescue operations in affected areas.

c. Based from the assessment done, the ROs and DEOs of the affected areas shall estimate the required number and type of QRA needed for the clearing and rescue operations. If the QRAs within their RO/DEO are inadequate, a request shall be sent to the BOM and BOE for additional QRA thru any form of available communication within six (6) hours from the time of occurrence of the earthquake.

d. Upon receipt of request, BOM and BOE shall check the availability of QRA thru the updated QRA Database. A shortlist of available QRAs shall be prepared by considering the following factors that will affect the time and cost of mobilization to the affected area:

1. Distance from the current location of equipment to the affected area.

2. Mode of mobilization either by land, water or air.

 In remote areas (i.e., Visayas and Mindanao Regions especially island Regions), mobilization of QRE might not be feasible or economical, however, QRST and QRMT of these areas shall still proceed to augment other responding Regions in the clearing and rescue operations in case demand arises. cHaCAS

e. The BOE Director shall coordinate with the RDs and EMD Chiefs on the whereabouts of the equipment to be used for the clearing and rescue operations thru any form of available communication within six (6) hours from the time of occurrence of the earthquake.

f. The RD shall send a list of all the QRAs to be deployed for clearing and rescue operations using the BOM-SDMCD Form 2015-04 as attached in D.O. 15, Series of 2015, to BOM and BOE.

g. In case communication lines are down and there is no other way to contact the Central Office (CO), the RD has the authority to deploy all QRAs to respond to the Regions in need of assistance.

h. Upon the instructions of the RD, the EMD Chief together with the DE/Area Equipment Engineer (AEE) and team leaders shall proceed to their respective deployment areas.

i. In case that there will be demands for more heavy equipment in clearing and rescue operations, units will be sent from areas initially identified by each Region where transportation/mobilization of equipment is difficult. Mobilization shall be handled by the responding Region.

j. In case of landslides, the RD of affected Region shall direct DEOs to immediately open all closed roads within the Region going to NCR, Region III, Region IV-A and other affected areas.

k. En route to the deployment area, QRAs coming from responding Regions can augment the heavy equipment in the affected area to open closed roads. Once roads are passable to one-way traffic, local DEOs shall be responsible for the full opening of roads (i.e., for two-way traffic), QRAs coming from responding Regions can proceed to reach their assigned deployment area at the earliest possible time.

l. Upon arrival at the area, the RD, DE, EMD Chief or AEE shall closely coordinate with the Local Government Unit (LGU) and DPWH officials thereat to direct and execute immediate and cautious clearing and rescue operations.

m. After the successful clearing and rescue operations, demobilize all QRAs back to their respective offices. Account for any damaged QRE, QRT, injuries and casualties.

F. Organizational Duties and Responsibilities

DPWH Quick Response Team

NOTE: This organizational structure is subject to change until further revision is issued.

1. Undersecretary, Regional OperationsHead, DPWH Quick Response Team

a. Contacts and alerts all RDs to prepare and mobilize all their available resources upon the instructions given by the Secretary.

b. Oversees the operation of the Quick Response and Support Team, and facilitates resolution of issues raised by team members.

2. Assistant Secretary for Luzon Operations and Assistant Secretary for Visayas and Mindanao OperationsHead, Disaster Response Operations

a. Coordinates with the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council-Office of Civil Defense (NDRRMC-OCD) and other agencies in providing support and assistance.

3. Director and Assistant Director, Bureau of EquipmentHead, Equipment Positioning and Mobilization

a. Update the nationwide QRA Database monthly.

b. Coordinate with the RDs and EMD Chiefs on the whereabouts of the equipment to be used for the clearing and rescue operations.

c. Ensure the proper positioning and mobilization of QRE.

4. Regional Director and Assistant Regional DirectorHeads, Regional Quick Response Support and Medical Team

a. In the event of the earthquake, conduct close monitoring of roads and other infrastructure facilities for any damages caused by these natural events.

b. Closely coordinate with LGUs and local disaster teams regarding calamity and emergency response works.

c. Provide an updated list of QRA within their region monthly.

d. Provide support to other Regions in need.

5. Chief, Equipment Management DivisionHead, Equipment and Personnel Dispatch

a. Coordinates with the DE/AEE on the availability and status of QRAs.

b. Ensures all QRE and QRT to be deployed are in good operating condition.

c. Tracks and monitors the operations of deployed QRE.

d. Keeps an updated list of all available QRAs within the Region.

6. Assistant Chief, Equipment Management DivisionHead, Supplies and Logistics

a. Ensures all supplies needed by the team in the operation are provided (i.e., PPE, tools, fuel, food, water, etc.).

b. Plans and strategizes the safest and fastest route to the site.

c. Prepares an itinerary of travel and list of possible expenses like fuel, toll fees, and shipping fees, among others. DACcIH

7. Area Equipment Engineer and District EngineerHeads, Area Monitoring

a. Gather and lead all team members within the area.

b. Respond quickly to emergency works during the times of calamities that may strike anytime within the area of responsibility.

c. Mobilize all equipment and personnel to the designated deployment area safely and at the earliest time possible.

G. Funds

Funds allocated to fuel, logistical supports, PPE, food, water and other necessities of personnel will initially come from the DEO where the equipment is assigned. Once the operators and equipment reached the RO and are scheduled for dispatch, supplies will be provided by the RO. Funds will be charged to the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) of the RO/DEO.

Quick Response Support Team

Footnotes

1. 016 Merriam-Webster Dictionary; Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.

2. The New International Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus of the English Language.

3. Retrieved from "(http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/316877/scitech/science/the-next-big-quake-in-metro-manila-may-hit-within-our-lifetime)" last March 30, 2016.

4. The Fault Valley System in Greater Metro Manila Atlas, DOST-PHIVOLCS-NDRRMC.

5. Department Order No. 15, Series of 2015. 

n Note from the Publisher: Copied verbatim from the official copy. Irregular numerical sequence.