Good people still walk around, among them a team of French rescuers who respond to search and rescue operations in disasters in any part of the world – as volunteers. In between disaster rescue work, they work as regular government firefighters, and as volunteer trainers of a non-government organization, conducting workshops to teach the new techniques in search, rescue and firefighting operations.
They are known as Team ULIS (Unité Légère d'Intervention et de Secours) and they were in the Philippines – for the sixth time – on Jan. 31 to Feb. 13 to conduct training sessions in Bacolod, Iloilo, Tarlac and Bulacan. ULIS is an NGO composed of highly-trained firefighters.
“We can be in a disaster area, like an earthquake, in 24 hours after we learn about it,” Patrick Villardry, 69, ULIS leader, said through Nicolas Meleisis, who acted as interpreter during the interview at the Manila Bulletin office. “That’s why there are only six men in a team, to move “light” for faster deployment. Six men can fit a van, they move faster.”
The members of Team ULIS are Patrick Villardry, Nicolas Meleissis, Sebastien Bouche, Sebastien Bois, Nassim Aberkane, and Vincent Falzon. All of them have devoted much of their lives to rescue and firefighting operations. Nicolas, who is 42, started volunteering at 11 because he was part of a school teaching firefighting techniques.
While in the Philippines, the group coordinates with Together-Ensemble Foundation, and Ramon Moreno, Jr., the executive vice president, goes with them to the mission sites. They conduct fire and rescue training sessions and also bring equipment for donation, among them ambulance units for Bacolod, Iloilo, Tarlac and Caritas Manila. This year they donated firefighting equipment, among them security fire guards, helmets, fire masks, bunker fire protector guards, and boots. Count Hubert d’Aboville is the president and founder of the Together-Ensemble Foundation.
It is the team’s real-world experiences on fire and rescue operations that has honed their skills which they share with rescuers in many parts of the world. In the Philippines, their sessions have been so well-attended that the real numbers of participants are not registered because there are always friends-of-friends who walk-in to join the classes.
In the recent visit, the team conducted workshops on earthquake relief, live fire training, long distance wildfire intervention, animal rescue, dog handler training, road emergency intervention, and work safety.
This time, the newest session was on training dogs to help in search and rescue work which was handled by Villardry who is known for this special ability. Villardry, who grew up with dogs around him, believed that dogs could help save lives. ULIS, which was born in 1980, first started using dogs for rescue operations in Mexico in 1985. They have gone to Ukraine and Paraguay to train rescue dogs.
In their recent visit, Team ULIS had these training sessions with the Philippine Coast Guard and other groups where the dog search and rescue training was on locating people buried by debris during an earthquake or landslide.
Team ULIS had brought the dogs to many operations, one of them in the recent earthquake in Turkey where they saved about 65 lives from the debris. The team was part of the group that found a survivor who was alive after being buried for five days.
Showing many photos of that rescue operation, they shared the experience of search and rescue, with the sad times when they would find out that they were too late. “It’s always very sad to see death,” Nicolas said.
They are also very aware that rescue operations are very risky, especially in an earthquake where a rescuer could be buried while trying to save a survivor.
“Our families are always feeling stressed about our safety,” Nico said, interpreting a member’s remarks.
And when they see death, Patrick said they have to “close that door” – meaning the emotion of sadness – “because it is important to be connected to saving life, to help more people survive and live. We are very strong about that. That is the reason ULIS was created.”
It was also in the earthquake disaster area in Armenia in 1988 where Patrick met Mother Teresa who was declared a saint in 2016.
“The 10 minutes with Mother Teresa was the best moment of my life,” Patrick said, holding for us to see a medal which the saint had given him.
“There’s something in her, I felt different talking to her. My friend said he started to believe in something after meeting Mother Teresa,” he said.
Perhaps the bond that Patrick found with Saint Mother Teresa is his team’s choice to work with those who have lesser assistance. After “Yolanda” brought so much destruction in its path, Team ULIS chose to go to two islands farthest from the center of Yolanda’s wrath in Eastern Visayas. Those were the Malocaboc and Suyak Islands which are part of Sagay City in the northern side of Negros Island in Western Visayas.
When asked which experience in the Philippines has touched him most, Patrick cited the days at Malocaboc and Suyak because only his team went there to help the people. “We attended to the medical needs of victims, rebuilt the health center and the school and set up solar power equipment.”
From that experience, the team has moved on to help other communities and organizations, like the volunteer firefighters, all of who appreciate the time and technology they offered. Here’s what the Tarlac Filipino Chinese Volunteers Fire Brigade said in their Facebook page about the ULIS training sessions:
“The Urban Search and Rescue Team ULIS showed what is needed in navigating complex scenarios, from collapsed buildings to confined spaces. They showcased the importance of teamwork and effective communication in saving lives during critical moments. During the EMS training, different medical techniques and life-saving interventions were shared. Their emphasis on patient care made a significant impact…
“In the Fire Dynamics Suppression, through hands-on demonstrations and practical exercises, they explained the complexities of fire behavior, equipping participants with the knowledge and skills needed to combat fires effectively and safely. Their commitment to quality and readiness to impart their knowledge will never end, enabling local responders to better assist and safeguard their community in times of need.”
The France-Philippine mission is a joint effort of Together Ensemble Foundation, the Embassy of France, and ULIS. It is supported by the local and provincial governments and local volunteer groups in the city where the training session is conducted.
The training has especially instilled the value of disaster preparedness and there are plans to set up an international emergency management training institute. Moreno said they have met with government officials in Tarlac presenting the concept to put up this institution on a lot which he hopes will be donated.
The institute will have a school for training for disaster preparedness, and would be the center for operations during disasters since there is an airport in Clark. Moreno said that this plan has also been discussed with other government officials in other places where ULIS had conducted training.
The story of Team ULIS’ devotion to the country where they “found a smile in every corner” and where “faith is strong” will continue to unravel more good deeds. Perhaps a school or a management center for disaster response will be standing somewhere in the Philippines the next time ULIS will visit.
Meanwhile, these six men who say – “we are not special at all, we just want to help” – have gone home to their families, and to their jobs and will save their vacation leaves for the next trip to a place where they will train more people on how to save life.
They left behind a simple truth which they live through volunteer work: “It is important to offer your hand to help. Everybody around the world can give a hand to help, can do something.”