Britian to train Ugandans on disaster management
Mar 11, 2009
A team of 40 British Civil Military Cooperation officers will train local governments, military and non-governmental organisations in disaster management.
By Simon Naulele
A team of 40 British Civil Military Cooperation officers will train local governments, military and non-governmental organisations in disaster management.
The joint civic military group exercise commander and British defence advisor, Lt. Col. Peter Carroll, said small teams of the British troops accompanied by UPDF soldiers and other stakeholders would conduct meetings and disaster assessment.
“Members of the civic military group are not professional disaster management specialists, but because they experience disasters in their military operations, it was important to help other countries on how to manage and respond to disaster,†said Carroll.
He said his group was a small unit within the British forces which specialised in civic military cooperation.
Carroll was on Tuesday giving an overview of the planned exercise to the Soroti district management committee in the Lukiiko Hall.
“The exercise will not be a typical military exercise involving military equipment and vehicles, but it will involve meeting with key stakeholders and assessment of disaster management plans,†Carroll said.
Several organisations involved in disaster management attended the meeting, which was opened by the resident district commissioner, Ben Etonu.
The three-week exercise codenamed, ‘Exercise Civil Bridge’ believed to be the first of its kind in Uganda, is to be conducted in Soroti and Kampala districts.
Soroti was chosen because it had less exposure despite having experienced a series of disasters.
British defence attache Lt. Col. Simon Etwerington, Maj. Dennis Westaway and UPDF’s deputy chief of operations in charge of disaster management and response, Col. Joseph Arocha attended the briefing.
The British team is expected to brief the Government about their findings tomorrow.
A team of 40 British Civil Military Cooperation officers will train local governments, military and non-governmental organisations in disaster management.
The joint civic military group exercise commander and British defence advisor, Lt. Col. Peter Carroll, said small teams of the British troops accompanied by UPDF soldiers and other stakeholders would conduct meetings and disaster assessment.
“Members of the civic military group are not professional disaster management specialists, but because they experience disasters in their military operations, it was important to help other countries on how to manage and respond to disaster,†said Carroll.
He said his group was a small unit within the British forces which specialised in civic military cooperation.
Carroll was on Tuesday giving an overview of the planned exercise to the Soroti district management committee in the Lukiiko Hall.
“The exercise will not be a typical military exercise involving military equipment and vehicles, but it will involve meeting with key stakeholders and assessment of disaster management plans,†Carroll said.
Several organisations involved in disaster management attended the meeting, which was opened by the resident district commissioner, Ben Etonu.
The three-week exercise codenamed, ‘Exercise Civil Bridge’ believed to be the first of its kind in Uganda, is to be conducted in Soroti and Kampala districts.
Soroti was chosen because it had less exposure despite having experienced a series of disasters.
British defence attache Lt. Col. Simon Etwerington, Maj. Dennis Westaway and UPDF’s deputy chief of operations in charge of disaster management and response, Col. Joseph Arocha attended the briefing.
The British team is expected to brief the Government about their findings tomorrow.