A mock drill on disaster management was conducted for fire department officials, policemen, ambulance staff, paramedics and disaster management authorities.
150 volunteers participated in a mock drill
Going by the age-old adage —Practice makes a man perfect — a mock drill on disaster management was conducted for fire department officials, policemen, ambulance staff, paramedics and disaster management authorities, to help understand and tackle mass casualty incidents, at Shivaji Park on Saturday.
For curious onlookers, it was quite something to see a tanker containing gas cylinders ram into a bus and explode on the grounds, with firefighters struggling to combat the blaze. The firefighters then tagged injured patients with coloured labels, indicating their clinical condition and handed them over to paramedics in record time.
The disaster was simulated by the BMC in association with Mumbai University, Hinduja hospital, KEM hospital and Life Supporters Institute of Health Sciences, to train firefighters and paramedics in handling mass casualty incidents effectively in a disaster situation.
“Red tags were put on patients requiring emergency medical attention, yellow tags for patients who did not need immediate attention but whose condition could deteriorate later and green tags for walking but wounded patients. Dead victims were removed last, as we did not want to waste resources,” said Dr Paresh Navalkar, Lifesupporters Institute of Health Sciences.
Members from 23 foreign facilities including Harvard and Columbia University monitored the drill, which was performed keeping in mind the authenticity of a disaster situation and had 150 volunteers acting as patients.
The teamwork and co-ordination between the fire department, police, ambulance, paramedics and disaster management authorities were also on display on the grounds.
When Dr Dario Gonzales, division medical director, fire department, City of New York was queried about the difference in handling disasters between the two cities, he said, “The fire department here is a lot better and so is the ambulance services. One needs to appreciate one’s resources. However, there is the issue of training, which will help focus on basic skills. Through these drills we look for areas of excellence and improvement.”
b_linah@dnaindia.net
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