Depok – As a country located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia is at high risk for natural disasters such as Megathrust earthquakes and floods. These events can have a significant impact on the safety of employees, the surrounding community, and the operation of Critical National Infrastructure (Obvitnas) such as PLN Gandul. Therefore, rapid response and effective coordination are necessary.
Realizing the potential impact, PLN Gandul, together with PT Nawakara Perkasa Nusantara and BASARNAS (National SAR Agency), held an emergency response simulation to enhance readiness in facing disasters on Thursday, December 12, 2024, at PLN Gandul’s office in Depok, West Java. This training aimed to improve preparedness, minimize the impact of disasters, and strengthen synergy among teams.
Pambudi Nurwidjaya, Senior Rescuer at BASARNAS, emphasized the importance of conducting disaster simulations as a mitigation step. “A Megathrust earthquake is a large-scale disaster that requires high preparedness. The purpose of this activity is to ensure that all teams remain calm and are ready to act quickly in the event of a disaster. Simulations like this help improve coordination and response effectiveness during emergencies,” he explained.
Here are 4 ways to minimize risks and enhance the effectiveness of responses:
In the earthquake scenario, ensure to take cover under a table or near a strong pillar during the tremors. Once the shaking stops, evacuate calmly and in an organized manner to the safe point or Master Point. The Floor Warden will count the employees and ensure no one is left behind in the building.
Train the First Aid team to handle injuries using basic equipment such as stretchers, oxygen, and other emergency care. Ensure that victims requiring further treatment are immediately evacuated to the nearest hospital. This step is crucial to minimize serious injuries and ensure the safety of lives.
Regular emergency response simulations help teams react reflexively and effectively. In flood scenarios, practice evacuation procedures for victims from flooded areas under emergency pressure.
M. Nuruli Kholiq, Head of the Training Division at Nawakara, added that the training conducted is a strategic step to ensure readiness in the face of potential large-scale disasters. “Simulations are proactive steps to minimize casualties and infrastructure damage. It involves how emergency teams, including security teams, evacuate, secure assets, and provide assistance to those who are injured or unable to evacuate independently. The collaboration between PLN, Nawakara, and BASARNAS shows effective synergy in ensuring disaster preparedness,” he said.
Evaluate the simulation results to identify areas for improvement, such as refining the paging system for quicker emergency information dissemination and adding safety facilities like personal protective equipment and emergency response tools. Regular simulations serve as a basis for strengthening procedures in the future.
Mario Tambun, Staff at K3L UIT JBB UPT PLN Gandul, appreciated the implementation of this activity. “This simulation is an important experience for us to test the readiness of emergency response procedures. Although we do not want these disasters to occur, we must still anticipate them with this mitigation simulation. We feel helped, gained valuable knowledge, and learned many things that can be improved, including response time acceleration and optimizing coordination. This becomes the foundation for strengthening our procedures in the future,” he said.
