If knowing how to stay safe during a disaster like an earthquake is important, ensuring that those affected are rescued safely is even more crucial.
And this is what personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Arakkonam, demonstrated during a mock drill at VIT University on Thursday.
About 25 personnel of NDRF demonstrated a mass casualty incident based on an earthquake. The scenario was that of a collapse of a multi-storey building and how persons trapped inside are rescued.
Workshop
The mock drill was part of a day’s workshop on disaster management organised by the Centre for Disaster Mitigation and Management (CDMM) of the university.
The university’s Vice President Sekar Viswanathan released the third edition of the university emergency response plan.
He said that it had been decided to conduct awareness campaigns on disaster preparedness among educational institutions and public at various places across the district through CDMM, a press release said.
M.K. Verma, commandant of fourth battalion of NDRF, Arakkonam outlined their work and said they were involved in safe rescue of people affected in disasters such as cyclone, flood and earthquakes.
The force was also conducting awareness among educational institutions and public on how people should safeguard themselves during disasters. The mock drill was conducted at VIT for the third year, the release added.
Building collapse
S.C. Sharma, inspector and team commander, NDRF, said that during the mock drill, the personnel demonstrated how they entered a building that had collapsed after cutting through the debris and rescue the victims. The university’s students acted like victims trapped in the building.
If a high rise building had collapsed during an earthquake, the personnel showed how the wall was drilled and modern camera inserted to see how many persons were trapped under the debris. Through this, they would also determine the place where people have been trapped, condition of those trapped, number injured and casualty.
Following this, modern equipment is used to cut through the walls and rescue the persons through a rope based on pulley system, the release added.
Treatment
Mr. Sharma said they demonstrated how extrication tools are used and how victims are rescued on priority basis depending on the type of injuries – those requiring immediate treatment, early treatment and those who can wait for treatment.
In case one is present inside a multi-storey building, getting out of it immediately during an earthquake is difficult.
Hence, it was important to take cover under a table or bench so that it will protect against falling objects.
Awareness campaigns on disaster preparedness will be held in educatinal institutions across the district
