THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER - Institution of Engineers Singapore

IES UPDATE
HEAL Simulation 2012
The four Disaster Response Teams taking part in the simulation were briefed by
Nick Finney from Save The Children.
Organised by IES, the Humanitarian Engineering Alliance (HEAL)
Simulation 2012 is intended to serve as an introduction to the
humanitarian help that is required in disaster-struck locales for
both engineers and non-engineers alike. Participants were put
through a simulation-based training programme which served
to introduce fundamental humanitarian ethics and standards;
illustrate the understanding of how the global humanitarian
ecosystem operates; expose them to the issues facing vulnerable
communities; practise performing a needs assessment; and learn
how to engage local communities in a culturally sensitive manner.
To that end, 26 members from four ‘Disaster Response Teams’,
created by the participants, were deployed on the morning of
14 April to ‘Aseania’. It had been hit by ‘Typhoon Badone’, a
Category 4 super typhoon, which triggered a humanitarian crisis
among the local population.
The teams arrived at ‘Kampung’ the capital city of Aseania, which
had a population of 6 million and consisted of three provinces
- ‘Acorn’, ‘Biped’ and ‘Cozzie’ - that was home to the three
main ethnic groups in the country. The teams came from four
different NGOs: ASEAN Without Borders (AWB), Heal Asia
Now (HAN), Free ASEAN from Poverty (FAP), and Relief and
Development for Asia (RADFA).
The four teams were briefed by Mr Nick Finney, Asia Emergency
Director of Save The Children, on the current situation at
Aseania. This
required the teams
to assess the
different provinces
after the ‘storm’
had passed. Each
team was required
to set up its physical
office location
with demarcated
areas for planning,
communications
Each team went through a body mapping exercise. and hygiene;
prepare a security and safety management plan; conduct a
field assessment; and launch an appeal for funds to support
the humanitarian situation. All four teams had to make all key
decisions and put in place all practical arrangements by 1230 hrs
and report back to the HQ.
In the afternoon, Ms Angelina Theodora, HEA Capacity Building
Specialist from World Vision, and her team role played with the
four teams using various assessment tools that are used during
the initial assessment of disaster response, such as body map
diagrams, focus group discussions and household interviews.
The second day of the simulation began with a critical
moment of reflection by the teams on what they had learned
the previous day. This was followed by the introduction to
Community Development by Mr Ben Wolf, Asia Rim Director
of BGR International.
In the afternoon, members of the four teams then went through
a second exercise on ‘Aseania II’ to recap what they had learned
during the simulation course. This was followed by a Q & A
session, which gave participants the opportunity to make queries
to the panel of speakers.
With the success of this simulation exercise and considering the
demand for the programme, IES is presently planning on running
it again on a regular basis. Further details on when it will be run
again will be announced in the near future.
Teams went through reflection exercises after the first simulation.
Mr Ben Wolf provided an introduction on Community Development to the teams.
08 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER April 2012