J-K: Day-long disaster preparedness training program held in Srinagar

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], May 9 : One-day long disaster preparedness training program was conducted in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar for the medical and paramedical staff of several NGOs in the Kashmir valley.
It was organised by the Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, Jammu and Kashmir in collaboration with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Civil Defence.
The staff members were provided training in basic first aid, fire fighting, and search and rescue. Live demonstrations were also given to the participants by the teams from SDRF and Civil Defence.
Speaking to ANI, the director of Disaster Management, J-K, Aamir Ali said, the basic first aid is to be given at times of injuries like bleeding, fracture, burns or if there is any accident or when a lady is pregnant, is being taught to staff.
"We are teaching them how to conduct search and rescue on a disaster site as they are also the first responders on the site. We are also teaching them basic fire fighting techniques, in case, they reach any fire site," Ali said.
As NGOs are one of the important players during both men made as well as natural disasters, if the medical and paramedical staff will be well versed in disaster management, it can help in reducing mortality as well as morbidity rate.
It can create awareness among the masses about the importance of prehospital care, which is a vital component of emergency medical services.
The head of NGO Kashmir, Dr Riyaz Ahmad said, "To bridge the gap between knowledge and practicality, we requested the disaster management department to train our staff on how to improve their skills as per the requirements in the territory."
"Our staff will definitely be benefited as they will know how to approach casualties at the time of natural disasters," he added.
While talking about the training programme, a paramedic, Manzoor Ahmad said, "Our main focus was rescued.
"The trainers taught us how to rescue people in case there is a fire breakout or flood or a building collapsed. They have given us effective training on how to save not just humans but animals as well, during the time of a disaster," Ahmad said.
Earlier, Disaster Management focussed mainly on the effectiveness of the post-disaster phase, but in the present times, it also lays significant importance on the capacity development leading to preparedness and readiness to tackle a disaster.