Ministerial Statement by the Minister of National Security, The Honourable Wayne Caines, JP, MP

Mr. Speaker, this morning I wish to provide this Honourable House with a report on the activities of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation (DRRM) Team, for the current year. Honourable Members will recall that this team was introduced to the public in October, after becoming operational this past summer.

Mr. Speaker, the DRRM team is tasked with strengthening and developing disaster and emergency contingency plans for natural and manmade hazards that threaten Bermuda, and coordinating the activities of the Emergency Measures Organisation. The team also has responsibility for coordinating the planning for national events and their associated contingency plans.

Based within the Ministry of National Security Headquarters, the team currently consists of five staff seconded from our uniform services that each brings experience and expertise crucial for carrying out the DRRM team’s remit.

Mr. Speaker, the DRRM team is led by senior police officer, Steve Cosham. Mr. Cosham has 37 years of experience which includes being the commander of the Marine Unit and ComOps. He is also trained in bomb disposal and was a Firearms Commander for pre-planned operations. Working with Mr. Cosham are the following four staff:

• Kelly Trott is a Principal Customs Officer with 31 years of experience. She has worked in all areas of Customs and is trained as a Diagnostic Facilitator for the World Customs Organization and a certified trainer for the Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council.
• Troy Furbert is a Divisional Fire Officer with 30 years of experience. He brings with him vast experience in fire operations and training, and is a certified National Fire Protection Association Instructor. 
• Dean Rubaine is a Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant from the Royal Bermuda Regiment with 30 years of experience. He has previously been deployed overseas to assist with disaster operations in various Caribbean islands, and was appointed to the International Military Advisor Training Team, in Sierra Leone.
• Lyndon Raynor is a Police Sergeant with 33 years of experience in operational and support roles in policing. He is a qualified firearms commander and Hostage Negotiator. 

Mr. Speaker, this year the team has been involved in several crisis planning exercises and activities.

In January, the team brought together 27 agencies for the Airport Emergency Plan exercise. The exercise simulated a large fuel spill whilst a plane was full of passengers. The exercise gave the agencies an opportunity to work through the Emergency Plan in real time in order to make necessary changes and enhancements.

Mr. Speaker, from June through October, the team was central in holding a table top exercise onboard the cruise ship Norwegian Escape to develop a cruise ship evacuation plan for Bermuda. This culminated in October with a live partial cruise ship evacuation taking place at Heritage Wharf. These planning exercises will help prepare the 23 agencies involved in cruise ship contingency plans for greater engagement for the start of the 2019 cruise ship season.

Mr. Speaker, hurricane season, which runs from 1 June until 30 November, saw the second year in a row that Bermuda did not receive a visit from a hurricane, for which we are all infinitely blessed. Although there was no storm activity, the DRRM team worked through all related plans in order to keep up preparation and risk reduction work in readiness for the 2019 season.  

Since October, Mr. Speaker, the team has been engaged with SOL and RUBiS in developing contingency plans for the fuel farm and nearby residents and businesses at Ferry Reach. SOL and RUBiS remain responsible fuel providers; however the DRRM team is working to further mitigate potential risks generated by the nature of fuel storage operations. A Town Hall meeting for residents to become involved in the contingency planning process and voice any concerns is being planned for January 2019.   

Mr. Speaker, in November, training was held for 25 staff from 10 EMO agencies in the Incident Command System. The aim of this training was to encourage collaboration between agencies and assist participating staff in commanding any incident, small or large. To increase our resilience at the ports of entry, December saw training for 23 staff from 8 agencies that support the airport and seaports in bomb searching.

Mr. Speaker, looking ahead, the DRRM team is working with stakeholders on various training packages and exercises to test these contingency plans during 2019. Over the course of the year the team will work toward upgrading the Emergency Broadcast Facility 100.1 FM from analogue to digital. The team will also facilitate a locally held Incident Command Course for EMO agencies before hurricane season begins. 

Mr. Speaker, although many of the disasters that the DRRM team are ensuring preparedness seem unlikely for Bermuda, the consequences of not being prepared in the event of an occurrence could be cataclysmic. It is important to include all of the community in developing disaster and emergency contingency plans. Once developed, if they are to work, these plans need to be trained and then exercised to test them. If this is completed with wide stakeholder engagement, we will maximise the plans’ effectiveness and will place Bermuda in a position to respond to, and recover from any national disaster as efficiently as possible.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.