The Dominican Navy Auxiliary, as part of their ongoing training, recently performed an interesting Massive Rescue Exercise on the nearby island of Puerto Rico, and Maria Batlle– who besides being a talented Dominican artist and founder of the Muse Seek Project, is part of this civilian corps and shared with us a press release about the training conducted in March.
Massive Exercise in Puerto Rico
As part of the Dominican Naval Auxiliary it is an honor for me to tell you all about our latest rescue training.
On March 13, 2013, Puerto Rico was the scene of a mass rescue training, an invitation made by the Coast Guard Captain of the United States. Among those present at the training was Drew Pearson, el Capitán de Corbeta M. de G. Hugo Goicoechea, the National Commodore of Dominican Naval Auxiliary, and Manuel E. Tavares with the Auxiliaries Franklin Polanco, Juan Carlos Porcella, Elías I. Cruz, Francisco Izquierdo and Manuel E. Casasnovas.
The event consisted of a tabletop exercise, in which a Ferry with about 596 passengers, including 60 children, caught fire between the town of Fajardo and Vieques Island, Puerto Rico. This drill was held in the city of Caguas, in the facilities of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with the participation of the Coast Guard of the United States as host and various emergency management agencies of Puerto Rico and the United States.
The purpose of this training is to prepare all the institutions that manage large scale disaster like the Dominican Navy Auxiliary, because in this country we have ferries and cruises operating around the island.
After the training, our Dominican Naval Auxiliary visited the United States Coast Guard base and spent time with the Coast Guard Auxiliary of the United States
With these kind of exercises, the Dominican Naval Auxiliary contribute further to assist our Navy and the Nation.
Pictures contributed by Naval Auxiliary!
About Dominican Naval Auxiliary
The Dominican Naval Auxiliary is a civilian force that possesses its own resources to assist in search operations, rescue and environmental protection. This organization was created in 2009 by the Executive by Decree 887-09 and it is composed of a group of business and professional volunteers. The organization operates private boats, barges and aircraft made available to the Navy, in order to assist with non-military activities or public order and safety at sea. The Dominican Naval Auxiliary has a presence in the north, northeast, east, south and center of the country.
“Our mission is to assist the Navy in nonmilitary operations or public, in order to contribute to the safety of human life at sea and the protection of the marine environment in the Dominican Republic,” -Dominican Naval Auxiliary.
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