Manila Hotel gets high marks on shake drill participation

“Injured” employee being evacuated on a stretcher during the Metro Manila Shake Drill. ANNELLE TAYAO-JUEGO/INQUIRER PHOTO

The Manila Hotel’s participation in the nationwide Metro Manila Shake Drill was given a high rating by its resident manager, who also lauded their personnel’s quick emergency response and evacuation which took less than the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-prescribed 25 minutes.

“I’d give [our response] an 8 out of 10,” said Gerhard Doll, who also leads the hotel’s crisis management team. The evacuation of employees and “victims,” who were attended to at the back of the hotel, took only 22 minutes. A “fire” at the parking lot near the Maynila Ballroom was put out by BFP officers in just 20 minutes.

“There may be a few glitches, but all in all we are satisfied with our response,” said Doll. Hotel officials have set a debriefing tomorrow to conduct a more thorough assessment of their performance.

“Our priority was to see to everyone’s safety and to make sure everybody was accounted for, which we were able to accomplish,” said Nian Liwanag-Rigor, The Manila Hotel assistant vice president for public relations and corporate communications.

“I can say that we performed better now than during the first Shake Drill, since people were more prepared,” said Rigor.

READ: Metro Manila, nearby provinces brace for ‘big one’ with shake drill

Doll said that The Manila Hotel also holds its own earthquake drills twice a year to ensure that employees and guests remain vigilant in case of disaster.

Only 65 of the hotel’s 300 employees participated in Wednesday’s drill so as not to disturb operations, Rigor said. Guests were invited but not required to join.

“Our guests appreciate the fact that the hotel takes active part in this,” she added. A quick scan of the hotel’s lobby, however, showed that none of the guests did the duck-cover-hold safety protocol.

The Manila Hotel, a 104-year-old structure, is checked regularly by safety engineers to ensure its integrity and stability, said Rigor. On the average, there are around 1,000 to 1,500 people inside the hotel every day. CDG

READ: MMDA hoping to surpass 6.5M joiners in 2016 Shake Drill

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