ŌTOROHANGA St John cadets (from left) Gabrielle Pearson, Mikhail Hasanbasoglu and Zach Davey nut out the details in their roles at a simulated Civil Defence base.
THE St John cadets in Ōtorohanga started their evening in orderly lines with straight spines and hands by their side, saluting when instructed. But just 10 minutes later they were thrust into a whirlwind of confusion as they simulated being at a Civil Defence base during a cyclone event. Six gold-level senior cadets were looking to earn their Civil Defence badges by assuming key roles in the scenario, taking charge and leading the group through the simulated natural disaster. At 6.15pm last Wednesday, the cadets received their brief: ex-cyclone Debbie has hit Kāwhia, there’s a king tide and the town is flooding. Cadets had to learn to create clear lines of communication to ensure everyone at the base was on the same page, emergency services were dispatched to where they were needed and important information was communicated through the media. And to make it all more real, division leader Alon Pearson organised for paramedics, firefighters, Civil Defence staff, a police officer and a journalist to be present on the night. As cadets were thrown new emergencies in the scenario – localised flooding, car crashes and missing people – they would liaise with the emergency services present. Alon said the exercise went as he expected it to and gold cadets Alex Davey, Anaru Wharepouri, Bria Walker, Glenn Davey, Mikhail Hasanbasoglu and Tui Roach were all awarded their badge, which they had been working towards this past term. Having real-life emergency service personnel present on the night was a huge bonus. “It just made the exercise even more real that they had to talk to them.”
