RBDF members enhance search and rescue skills

THE WATCH STAFF

Members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) Disaster Risk Management Unit, led by Capt. Sonia Miller, completed an intensive Urban Search and Rescue training course October 21-25, 2024. The in-depth program, run by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), provided vital lessons in urban disaster response for RBDF personnel and other participants from the Caribbean region.

In addition to the Bahamas, represented countries included Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago, promoting partnerships in disaster preparedness. The course focused on essential techniques for locating, stabilizing and rescuing people trapped in collapsed structures after natural disasters. Participants were trained in primary assessment at a disaster scene, patient triage and advanced search methods, as well as in applying the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group marking system, an essential tool for coordinating rescue efforts in complex environments.

Hands-on training included debris removal, load-lifting and shoring techniques, and lessons highlighted patient stabilization and safe extraction. The simulations provided realistic scenarios, fostering swift and decisive responses at disaster scenes.

The program reflects USAID’s commitment to Caribbean countries. USAID enhances disaster response through specialized training, ensuring the RBDF Disaster Risk Management Unit remains well prepared to safeguard Bahamian citizens.

For more than 50 years, USAID has provided development aid to the Caribbean region. USAID directs regional programming in 11 countries, 10 of which are in the immediate region. In April 2020, USAID/Eastern and Southern Caribbean was granted program oversight of the Bahamas, given USAID’s role in disaster preparedness and response programming.

With the completion of this training, the RBDF Disaster Risk Management Unit is even more prepared to lead search and rescue operations, providing a critical safety net for Bahamian citizens. An RBDF news release on the training noted that collaborating with neighboring nations further enhances the readiness of Caribbean forces to respond to emergencies. The RBDF, under the leadership of Commodore Raymond E. King, remains focused on readiness to respond to disasters in urban settings at the national, regional and international levels.

In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee in March 2024, Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), cited the importance of the Bahamas and the RBDF.

“The Bahamas is a growing and willing partner in maritime security and associated intelligence and information sharing, and USNORTHCOM’s programs with the Bahamas improve disaster response and climate resiliency for both nations,” Guillot testified. “The USNORTHCOM bilateral frameworks with the Royal Bahamian Defence Force (RBDF), and with other U.S. partners such as the United States Coast Guard and the Rhode Island National Guard are important to advancing mutual defense and security objectives. USNORTHCOM will continue to work closely with the RBDF to enhance shared maritime domain awareness and cooperation, and I look forward to building further on an already strong and beneficial relationship.”

In October 2024, the Bahamas sent a six-member advance team to join the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti. The goal is to restore security in Haiti, where criminal gangs control much of the capital, Port-au-Prince.