Disaster awareness event organised at Nahan college

A disaster management awareness and mock drill programme was organised by the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Sirmaur, at Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar Government College, Nahan. The event was inaugurated by Sirmaur Deputy Commissioner and DDMA Chairperson Sumit Khimta, who emphasised the significance of disaster preparedness in a region prone to various calamities.

In his address, Khimta shared that during the programme 11 faculty members and nearly 239 students of the college were trained in disaster management techniques. The training involved various mock drills and awareness activities led by search and rescue teams, aimed at educating participants on how to effectively respond to disasters.

The Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team, consisting of eight members from Shimla, conducted a detailed session on search and rescue operations. This team, led by Sub-Inspector Dharam Singh, provided insights on handling disaster situations, including effective search and rescue techniques.

In the second session, a team of 10 members from the Himachal Pradesh Home Guard, led by chief instructor Santosh Devi, focused on imparting knowledge about first-aid, CPR and other critical rescue techniques. The session aimed at equipping students and faculty with essential life-saving skills during emergencies.

In the final session, a three-member team from the Himachal Pradesh Fire Department, under the leadership of Leading Fireman Rajesh Kumar, conducted a demonstration on fire safety. The team trained participants on how to prevent and extinguish fires, including forest fires and domestic fires caused by kitchen gas leaks. Detailed explanations were given on the use of fire extinguishers, covering different classes of fires and the appropriate methods to combat them.

After the sessions concluded, a joint mega-mock drill was conducted by teams from the SDRF, Home Guard and Fire Department to showcase the collaborative efforts required during a disaster.

The Vice-Principal of the college, Uttama Pandey, said a seven-member disaster management committee has been formed at the institution. The committee includes Dr Ved Prakash (Coordinator), Prof Devender Kumar, Prof Navdeep Kaur Shah, Dr Pankaj Chandak, Prof Bhoomika, Prof Twinkle and Khemraj.

The event saw the active participation of the college’s academic and non-academic staff, students from the National Service Scheme (NSS), National Cadet Corps (NCC) and Arvind Chauhan from the disaster management cell of the Deputy Commissioner’s office.