Earthquake drill training mandatory for Ozamiz school safety officers

The Department of Education Division of Ozamiz City has issued a directive requiring every designated school safety officer in public and private institutions to complete a structured training program on earthquake drill procedures. The notice responds to recurring seismic activity across parts of Mindanao and the broader call for tighter preparedness protocols in learning environments. Training must be completed within the current quarter to align with the division's annual disaster risk reduction calendar.

Safety officers are expected to coordinate school-wide simulations, maintain updated evacuation maps, and ensure that staff and learners understand the correct sequence of protective actions. The program will be delivered through the division's learning portal and supported by in-person workshops at cluster-level training centres. Schools are reminded that non-participation may affect compliance audits scheduled for the next monitoring cycle.

Purpose and scope of the mandatory training

The training is designed to standardise how schools in Ozamiz City respond to ground shaking, aftershocks, and post-event accounting of learners. It builds on the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council's framework while addressing local terrain concerns, including proximity to coastal faults and soft-soil zones.

Sessions will cover hazard recognition, pre-drill briefings, in-classroom response protocols, and post-drill debriefing procedures. Each module has been benchmarked against international best practice, which is why coordinators have also looked at how peers in other regions run similar programs. Some division offices have even streamlined hardware distribution through a laptop procurement notice so that training facilitators can deliver multimedia content consistently.

Core procedures covered in the drill program

Officers will be trained on the duck, cover, and hold sequence taught in DepEd modules, adapted for classroom furniture arrangements common in Philippine schools. The course also clarifies when to initiate full evacuation versus a shelter-in-place response, depending on the building's structural condition and the intensity of shaking.

Drill execution includes timed evacuation routes, designated muster points, headcount procedures, and communication handovers to local disaster response units. Special attention is given to learners with disabilities and to multi-storey buildings where stairwell congestion can occur during rapid descent.

Roles and responsibilities of school safety officers

Each school safety officer acts as the focal point for earthquake preparedness, responsible for maintaining the school's emergency action plan and updating it annually. They serve as the bridge between the principal, faculty, learners, parents, and the division's DRRM coordinator.

Officers are also expected to submit drill reports, flag structural concerns for engineering assessment, and coordinate with barangay councils on community-wide exercises. Their role extends beyond the drill itself, encompassing awareness campaigns and integration of disaster education into the regular curriculum where feasible.

Coordination with local authorities and stakeholders

The division has partnered with the Ozamiz City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to align school drills with citywide exercises. Fire suppression units, barangay tanods, and volunteer responders have been briefed on school evacuation maps and assembly areas.

Parent-teacher associations have been asked to support communication drives, particularly for younger learners who may require reassurance during simulated events. Private schools operating under the same division umbrella are likewise expected to participate, ensuring a unified standard across the city.

Australian parallels in earthquake preparedness

While Australia is not commonly associated with frequent tremors, parts of New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia sit on active fault lines, and the 1989 Newcastle earthquake remains a reference point for school safety planning. Australian state education departments encourage schools to take part in the annual Great ShakeOut drill, a model that mirrors the practical approach now being adopted in Ozamiz.

Cross-learning between jurisdictions has become more visible, with Australian emergency managers often citing the phrase "if it's shaking, drop, cover and hold on" — language that closely matches the DepEd module phrasing. Queensland's education authorities also require principals to file post-drill reports, a reporting culture that resonates with the documentation expectations now placed on Filipino safety officers.

Compliance deadlines and reporting requirements

Training completion certificates must be uploaded to the division's online portal within thirty days of the program's release. Schools that miss the deadline will receive a compliance flag and may be prioritised for technical assistance visits in the following term.

Drill execution must be documented through photographs, attendance sheets, and narrative summaries submitted through the same portal. Principals are accountable for verifying that their assigned officer has met all requirements before signing off on the school's annual DRRM report.

Resource access and support materials

Supporting materials, including presentation decks, drill scripts, and evacuation map templates, are available through the division's resource library. Printable signage and audio cues for learners with visual or auditory needs have also been added.

The portal includes a tracker that lets officers monitor their progress, download reference documents, and request facilitator support. Schools with limited connectivity can opt for printed workbooks distributed through the division's supply office.

Key training modules

Common compliance pitfalls

Schools are encouraged to begin the training at the earliest opportunity to allow time for hands-on practice before the next division-wide simulation. Officers who complete the modules should share key takeaways with their faculty during the first in-service day of the term, reinforcing a culture of preparedness that extends well beyond the formal drill window. Contact the division DRRM desk through the official portal for technical queries or to request clustered training sessions for smaller schools.