40+ Belize Responders Now Ready for Regional Disaster Deployments

More than forty emergency responders in Belize have just completed a week-long crash course aimed at sharpening how the country responds when disaster hits.

The training wrapped up today with a certification ceremony marking the end of the 2026 CARICOM Disaster Relief Unit (CDRU) National Training Programme, held from June 13 to 20.

Participants came from the Belize Defence Force, Belize Coast Guard, National Fire Service, and the Belize Search and Rescue Institute. Over seven days, they took part in classroom sessions and practical drills designed to simulate real-life disaster situations.

The training focused on key areas such as coordinating disaster relief operations, managing logistics and supply chains, setting up emergency communications, and improving teamwork under pressure.

The programme forms part of the CARICOM Disaster Relief Unit, the Caribbean’s main humanitarian response mechanism. It brings together trained military, fire service, and police personnel from member states who can be rapidly deployed when disasters strike. Belize’s newly certified responders now join that regional standby force.

At the closing ceremony, participants received certificates recognising their successful completion of the programme and their role in strengthening Belize’s disaster response capacity.

The programme is delivered through a partnership between the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and Belize’s National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO), with support from the Regional Security System (RSS) and the Ministry of the Public Service and Disaster Risk Management.