Sri Vijaya Puram, Mar 23: To comply with the Chief Secretary’s directive for quarterly mock drills across all departments, the Directorate of Disaster Management, A&N Administration, conducted an Earthquake and Fire Mock Drill on Mar. 21 in the Department of Environment & Forests, Van Sadan, Sri Vijaya Puram to evaluate their disaster response.
Before the drill, a Tabletop Exercise was held in the morning, during which, Mr. Ritu Raj Singh, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests shared his experience of the 2004 earthquake while stationed in North Andaman. He emphasized the importance of active participation and coordination with Disaster Management, District Administration, A&N Police, Health, Fire, and NDRF for the drill’s success.
The drill began at 11.10 am and included key activities such as practicing the ‘Duck, Cover & Hold’ earthquake safety procedure, sounding the fire alarm, conducting a safe evacuation, performing a headcount by Section In-charge, and communicating with SEOC (1070), DEOC (S/A) (1077), ERSS (112), and Resource Departments. Search and rescue operations were carried out for missing persons, and first aid was provided to the injured. The Fire Tender and ambulance arrived on time and the drill concluded with an ‘All Clear’ message from the Incident Commander. A debriefing session was held at 11.40 am wherein Incident Commander appreciated their staff and Resource Departments for their efforts.
He assured that all findings and gaps identified during the drill would be reviewed and addressed.
