Life-saving: National Disaster Response Force personnel demonstrating various aspects of rescue operation, at Anna Stadium in Cuddalore on Friday.
CUDDALORE:
The personnel of the 4th battalion of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), who were involved in the rescue operations at the time of landslip in the Nilgiris, cyclone in Andhra Pradesh and the recent stampede at Pilumedu in Sabarimala, held a demonstration at the Anna Stadium here on Friday on how to save victims of building collapse, floods and chemical mishaps.
Inspector J.S. Bains, team commander, Sub-Inspector K. Kumar and 13 other personnel exhibited various techniques and skills on how to locate the victims caught underneath the debris of a collapsed building and how to bring them to safety. Mr. Bains told The Hindu that the force's response time was zero hour and soon after receiving the distress call, the personnel would be airlifted, wherever needed, and swing into rescue operation.
The force was provided modern equipment, many of them imported. It also had a kennel of four sniffer dogs that could detect persons fighting for life beneath the rubble. There were eight such battalions located strategically in the disaster-prone regions of the country. The personnel were drawn from various paramilitary forces such as the Border Security Forces, the Central Reserve Police Force and the Central Industrial Security Force, who underwent highly specialised training in rescue operation under trying conditions.
The commander further said that the force used to gather details about the hazard, vulnerability and conduct resource mapping survey of the vulnerable areas for working out the suitable rescue strategy. The disasters could be broadly categorised into two types: man-made and natural. Both were capable of causing large-scale devastations and, therefore, awareness and preparedness to deal with such exigencies would be critical aspects in containing the damage, Mr. Bains said. He also stated that the personnel were also trained in tackling chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear emergencies for which they were provided special suits fitted with oxygen cylinders.
A hand-held device would keep track of their movement and once the rescuer becomes immobilised owing to radiation, it would give out beeps to take the follow-up action. Mr. Kumar said that the “victim location camera attached with a speaker that could rotate in 360 degree angles” was the ideal equipment to establish contact with the building-collapse victims. Careful handling of the injured and rendering timely medical aid were of utmost importance. The personnel also gave tips on how to save a drowning person without endangering one's life.
Students, who gathered in large numbers, keenly followed the instructions and a handful of them even tried their hand on how to carry the injured persons in comfortable positions. Collector P. Seetharaman, who inaugurated the demonstration, said that a disaster-prone district like Cuddalore which was battered by the tsunami, cyclones and floods ought to be in a state of preparedness. With the presence of chemical industries and many power projects lined up, it was of vital necessity to create awareness of disaster management among the students and lay public, he added.
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