Reaching New Heights!

– CDC Staff undergoes Drone Training

Staff members of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), along with volunteers from the Volunteer Corps; a rank from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF); and two Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) employees successfully completed a three (3) day Drone Operations Training Exercise at the CDC Headquarters in Thomas Lands.

The training, which ran from September 14 to 16 and was conducted by Mr. Julian Cadogan of Caliper Drones, encompassed many facets such as legal requirements for drone operations; emergency procedures; pre and post flight checks; the importance of the operations manual; and frequent terms, abbreviations and buzzwords. The training also included practical activities where the seventeen (17) students were allowed to fly the drones, execute basic procedures and learn about the various circumstances that can alter the drone’s mobility and consistency.

On the final day certificates of completion were distributed to all the students and the Director General of CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, offered a few closing remarks. He lamented most on the importance of possessing a skill and using it effectively in every circumstance, and as such he encouraged all the successful trainees to continue their quest to become expert drone operators. The Director General also expressed pride towards the trainer, while indicating that preparation is a critical part of Disaster Risk Management and exercises akin to this one is necessary.

Scheduled training has been arranged for the foreseeable future so that the students can steadily improve their piloting skills, while attracting new trainees to build a larger batch of drone operators.