In a collaborative effort to upgrade national disaster response capacity, Community Technology Centers (CTC) and the Specialized Emergency and Disaster Mitigation Corps (CEMED) under the Ministry of Defense have awarded certifications to 42 professionals from diverse public and private institutions. These graduates have successfully completed the second iteration of the Comprehensive Course on Technology Applied to Emergencies and Disasters, a targeted training program designed to upskill frontline and planning personnel across the disaster management sector.
Hosted entirely at CEMED’s dedicated training facilities, the program centered its curriculum on building and refining advanced technological capabilities for all stages of emergency management — from long-term prevention and pre-disaster preparedness through to on-the-ground response. To reflect the evolving technological landscape of modern disaster management, the curriculum covered four high-priority modules: robust cybersecurity practices to protect critical emergency communications infrastructure, hands-on training for drone maintenance and repair to support search and reconnaissance operations, strategic communication tactics for coordinating cross-team responses and public messaging during crises, and foundational applications of artificial intelligence to improve disaster forecasting and response planning.
The official graduation ceremony included remarks from senior public leaders who underscored the critical value of this training. Geanilda Vásquez, General Coordinator of the Social Policy Cabinet, praised participating personnel for their demonstrated commitment to public service and proactive investment in continuous professional development. CTC Director Isidro Torres extended formal congratulations to all graduates, while emphasizing that the successful delivery of this course is a product of strong institutional collaboration between CTC and CEMED. Torres highlighted that this partnership will serve as a foundation to expand access to advanced technological training for more security and emergency response personnel across the country in the future.
Notably, the certification ceremony was convened concurrently with ongoing specialized courses addressing structural and forest fire response, a timing that underscored the immediate practical relevance of the technological training. This alignment reinforced a core takeaway from the initiative: that sustained inter-agency partnership, intentional investment in technological innovation, and ongoing upskilling are all indispensable to strengthening a nation’s ability to prepare for and respond to a wide range of emergency and disaster events.