UAV Operator Training for Disaster Response and Mitigation

Training in the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology for disaster management creates alternative pathways to employment for youth from low socioeconomic backgrounds, whilst contributing towards disaster resilience in their communities. It also empowers people with the leadership skills to train others in their community, their country, and abroad.

Emergency and disaster management (EDM) is challenging in developing countries due to logistic, resource, and personnel limitations. Additionally, limited access to further education leaves young people from low socioeconomic backgrounds ill equipped to develop skills for careers in EDM.

Our solution is to develop and implement a program providing young people from provincial areas of Aklan, Philippines (a low socioeconomic area prone to typhoons and large-scale flooding) with the skills to forge a long-term career in emergency management, focusing on the operation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs); an emerging technology set to revolutionize the field of EDM.

The use of UAVs in disaster management has improved factors such as response time, responder safety, mapping of flood damage, search and rescue, situational awareness such as changes in fire direction, and even in the delivery of emergency medical supplies. International teams of drone operators were utilized for response efforts following the typhoon Haiyan disaster in 2013 because local skills in UAV operation were lacking, and few, if any, opportunities for UAV training currently exist in the Philippines.

Demand in UAV technology transcends EDM into areas including agrarian reform, environmental science, and planning and infrastructure. By ensuring the program is accessible to youth, particularly women and people with disabilities, we can equip people with the skills to forge long-term careers in UAV operation for disaster management, plus a broad range of sectors. Our program will be accredited by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) of Aklan, and will include training in first aid, search and rescue, and associated modules.  Once developed, this solution can easily be adapted and scaled to train people in other parts of the Philippines, or internationally, providing career opportunities and empowering youth to assist communities during disasters.

According to the Asian Development Bank, the most fundamental constraint to access to tertiary education (and therefore better chances for future employment) for disadvantaged youth is that many never complete the 10-year basic education subsector. For those who do, entry into tertiary education is limited by the absence of effective scholarships or student loans. The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operator Training for Disaster Response and Mitigation program will provide an alternate pathway to employment in areas where youth possess little to no opportunity for tertiary education. It will enable them to build community resilience to disasters, and prepare them for adaptability in the future. 

Training and education in disaster management has been recognized as one of the most important factors in disaster resilience. The training of youth in this area has been instituted by the Philippine Government under Republic Act No. 10121, Section 14, and further recommended by organizations such as the Red Cross, and Save the Children.  As our knowledge and awareness of the importance of disaster preparedness increases, so does the demand for individuals skilled in disaster management and corresponding technology. Put simply, the program will create change both for community resilience and important skill development for youth in the 21st century. 

The focus on drone technology training will create more opportunities for girls/women and people with disabilities who would otherwise have little opportunity to play a role in disaster response. The PDRRMO will aim to train at least 7 individuals from 4 Barangays (the smallest unit of government) in each Municipality of the Province. Places will be open to a minimum of 6 individuals aged 16-24, from each Barangay (3 female and 3 male), with one mentor, forming a team of 7 (the ideal number suggested for search and rescue teams), possessing the ability to train other individuals in their Barangays. 

Tracked through numbers graduating from the training sessions - 476 + individuals trained and equipped initially-equal numbers from each gender

Tracked by all 7 or more members completing all required training - 68 Youth DRRM teams equipped and functioning with 7 or more members each

Tracked through numbers of new trainees after the initial 7. - Growth in Youth DRRM teams due to initial trainees now training others

This program will be the first of its kind in the region to introduce training in disaster response technologies as an alternative pathway to future employment in a country where accredited pathways besides tertiary education are virtually nonexistent. Additionally, disaster response training in technology has been focused primarily on units of government, with community education basically limited to awareness and mitigation. Furthermore, though drones have been used in the past to assist in relief efforts—their effectiveness and innovation being widely applauded—no substantial youth training for communities at risk has yet arisen from the undertaking. 

The program was proposed by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Aklan in response to a need they recognized in their own communities. It's design and overall aim of empowerment and self reliance hopes to provide an intergenerational benefit, with its positive effects extending well past the current population. 

The program will be rolled out across the Province's 327 Barangays, endorsed to the Barangay Captains and Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (BDRRMC), who will then inform their respective communities. The program will be coordinated by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and open free of charge to a minimum of 6 individuals aged 16-24;3 female and 3 male, with 1 mentor from the BDRRMC creating a team of 7. On completion of training, the team will be able to open training sessions for others in their respective Barangays. 

Funding from SOLVE is needed to design, develop and start up this program.  The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) is a government office institutionalized under the Republic Act No. 10121, and is provided funding from the Provincial Government through the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (5% of the annual budget). Once initial financial hurdles for the development and initiation of this program are overcome, ongoing implementation will be sustainable through the PDRRMO annual budget.

One of the factors that may limit this solution is the instability of local government structures. Elections in Barangays are held every three years, and the program may be affected depending on the elected official. Barangay Captains are delegated a substantial amount of power through governance law, and are therefore in a position to reject the program if they so desire. Another factor common to similar initiatives is the migration of those trained initially to jobs elsewhere that have become available to them due to their training, affecting the anticipated flow on effect of the training into the immediate community. 

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We are applying to SOLVE because we value the progress that can be made when access is provided to individuals who are knowledgeable, innovative and passionate about positive change. We understand that sometimes all it takes for individuals to achieve their best is to be given an opportunity to do so. We believe that the collective enthusiasm behind SOLVE can and will affect change in our lifetime, and we are hoping to contribute to this somehow in a small way.

The Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Army, the Provincial Government of Aklan, Philippine Red Cross, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices, Office of Civil Defense, Department of Interior and Local Government, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, World Vision, and the Department of Education.