An army reserve officer from Ramsey has been sent to the Philippines to assist their government in developing plans in the event of a major earthquake.
Major Paul Salmon was in the country with 37 other specialists from 77 Brigade working alongside the Philippine government, local authorities and disaster relief organisations as part of an annual overseas training exercise.
Focusing on the capital, Manila, their mission during the two-week deployment was to look at examples of the existing Philippine earthquake contingency response plans and make suggestions that will help save lives by enhancing the country’s ability to respond to a major earthquake in an urban setting.
Paul, 55, who serves with 170 (Infrastructure Support) Engineer Group, said: ‘We are here to assist with analysing civil infrastructure with regard to a major earthquake in an urban setting.
‘It means we’re looking at critical life-support networks, such as power, transportation, water and communication. Protecting and restoring these functions could help save thousands of lives.’
During his time in Manila, Paul’s team visited a range of government bodies, including the Department of Works and Public Highways, and sites of critical infrastructure around the city to assess their vulnerability to earthquake damage.
The Philippines is no stranger to natural disasters, with active volcanoes, regular earthquakes, typhoons, hurricanes and tsunamis threatening the 1,700 islands that make up the country.
In 2013, the country recorded the highest number of deaths after Typhoon Yolanda struck the Visayas, leaving nearly 8,000 dead, and an earthquake in Bohol and Cebu killed a further 230 people.
Paul, who moved to the Isle of Man 12 years ago having spent many years visiting family there, said: ‘We have achieved a lot by collaborative working with Philippine government engineers and senior officers, as well as international and non-government organisations. Everyone made us feel very welcome.’
He added: ‘It has also been interesting to learn more about the environment from which some of the Isle of Man’s Filipino community come from.’
Since joining the Army in 1977, Paul has completed two operational tours in Bosnia and Kosovo, in addition to overseas exercises in Brunei, Cyprus and Gibraltar.
Paul, who is married with three children, is the structures asset manager for the Isle of Man Government’s Department of Infrastructure in his civilian life.
‘There is a significant degree of crossover in the skills of technical assessment and risk management of critical infrastructure between my Army and civilian jobs, as well as the normal leadership role expected of an Army officer, Paul said.
Seventy-seven Brigade, which was officially formed on April 24 this year and is based at Denison Barracks in Hermitage, Berkshire, draws upon a wealth of civilian and military skills from both regular and reservist members, who provide expertise ranging from civil engineering and policing to strategic communications.
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