Santo Domingo.- At the end of 2021, the Civil defense headed by the executive director, Juan Salas, highlights that it has brought thousands of vaccines to vulnerable communities and has positioned itself as one of the 10 government institutions that work for resilient territories.
“Thanks to the effort of a committed team, we are becoming an institution much closer to the population,” said Salas, taking stock of his eight months in office, where he has had institutional strengthening, coordination for risk management as strategic pillars. local, and effective preventive action and response to emergencies and disasters, aligned with the policy of protection of citizenship, of the President of the Republic, Luis Abinader.
Assistance at the national level
He indicated that to date, doctors and volunteers from the Civil Defense have vaccinated more than 700 thousand people in days carried out in vulnerable places, as well as with the transfer of the elderly and disabled to inoculation centers.
While, during the year that ends, about 40 thousand assistances have been carried out throughout the national territory, as part of the operations carried out at Christmas and New Years, Altagracia Day, Easter, hurricane season (Storms Elsa, Fred and Grace); and others in response to the call of the National Emergency System 9-1-1.
Strengthening of territories
Fulfilling one of its strategic objectives, Salas said that the institution managed to train the 32 governors of the country and some 60 mayors of Greater Santo Domingo, Barahona and the border area, so that they are more empowered in their role in front of the Prevention Committees , Mitigation and Response to Disasters.
In addition, he gave them a profile with the vulnerabilities that each province has, in order to facilitate risk management in their territories and together with the Civil Defense, work to save lives in the face of emergencies.
This action led the Ministry of Public Administration (MAP) to recognize Civil Defense as one of the 10 Government institutions that promote the considerable increase in the number of sustainable and resilient cities and human settlements; and that endorse and implement policies and plans for the comprehensive management of disaster risks at different levels.
Plans for volunteers
Upon arriving at the institution, Salas set out to dignify the volunteers with better working conditions and greater preparation.
In this regard, closer ties have already been established with institutions that will award training scholarships such as the Technological Institute of the Americas (ITLA), the National Institute for Professional Technical Training (INFOTEP), the Community Technology Centers and the Ministry of Higher Education. , Science and Technology (MESCYT), among other cooperation agreements.
In addition, it provided that from January all volunteers will have a new identification card (which includes a QR code for easy verification), medical and life insurance, as well as pensions for those who apply.
He also stated that it was proposed to increase the enrollment of people who join the work of the institution and recalled the holding of the first Seminar on “National Volunteering and Corporate Responsibility”, where more than 300 people who perform volunteer work attended.
Training for institutions and companies
During this 2021, through the National School of Risk Management (ESNAGERI) 2,127 technicians and personnel from public institutions and private companies were impacted, with some 87 trainings that included support in the development of their emergency response plan and continuity of operations, formation of operational response brigades and simulation and simulation exercises to validate the process.
Some beneficiaries were: Chamber of Deputies, Ministry of the Interior and Police, Constitutional Court, Specialized Corps in Land Border Security (Cesfront), General Budget Directorate (Digepres), Dominican Port Authority, Unique Beneficiary System (Siuben), General Directorate of Migration; also Banco Promerica, Iglesias Altos de Sion CDI Luz y Esperanza, 4 × 4 Squadron, among others.
Transparency and integrity
On the other hand, complying with the integrity that characterizes the current management, the Civil Defense has raised its scores in indicators such as compliance with Law 200-04, on transparency, with 100%; human resource planning, 100%. In addition to achieving excellent performance in the purchasing and contracting system.
Infrastructures
Another of the institution’s achievements is the renovation of physical infrastructures such as the reception area, with more welcoming spaces for users who visit the headquarters. In addition, the renovation of the Civil Defense premises in Pedernales and Bajo Yuna.
For this 2022, the Civil Defense intends to continue strengthening its mission in the preparation and response work to save lives in the exercise of emergency functions in the event of a natural or anthropic event.
That is why it plans actions such as continuing to strengthen ties of relationship and cooperation with non-governmental actors, international organizations and development and cooperation agencies that promote and drive actions aimed at reducing the risk of disasters.
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