Naga people too casual to emergencies, disaster management officials lament

Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, Aug. 3: Nagaland has been facing natural and man-made emergencies in the recent past. Realising that response will be the fastest and most effective measure to tackling such situations if first responders are trained, the need to intensify training for Community First Responders is felt even more.
According to officials at a recent training programme for first responders, although training programmes are designed for communities, there are few participants. Nagas are not serious and ‘we were very casual towards disasters,’ participants were told.

A training programme for community first responders (CFR) for Dimapur sadar was conducted from July 24 to August 3 in which 287 registered trainees participated.

The first phase of the CFR covered 30 wards or villages from six subdivisions namely Kuhuboto, Medziphema; Dhansiripar; Chumukedima; Niuland and Dimapur Sadar.

The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) of Dimapur organised the training in collaboration with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) of Dimapur. It was supported by the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA).

A valedictory programme was conducted on Sat. Aug. 3 at the Circuit House in Dimapur.
The CFR was conceptualised considering that effective management of any emergency by the community before actual help arrives will help the local administration. This is possible only when a well-planned training course is imparted in a proper and effective manner.

The concept note of the management authority states “community is always the first responder in any disaster as they have an inherent capacity to respond immediately.”

“However, past experiences have shown that after every disaster, response comes from well-intentioned but untrained personnel who have little or no regard for personal safety. This at times escalates the after effects of disaster and further endangers the victims.”

Drawing from past experiences, the NSDMA has embarked on a mission to train as many volunteers as possible to take the role of CFR for the community. The idea was to build the capacity of the community at the grass-root level for them to be aware and to be prepared for any disaster, thereby building a safer and resilient state and community.

The vision of the CFR training was to train as many people as possible across the villages of the state through the district level training of trainers (ToTs). The training was based on a cascading system: master of trainers (MoTs) at state level, ToTs at the district level and at the block level.

The outcome of the training was to have a CFR team across all the villages, with the team comprising ten members, a group leader, a liaison, four search and rescue members and four first aid members.

The district commandant of the Civil Defence and Home Guards, Akhu Kath, spoke at the event. In his address at the programme, Kath said Nagaland faces two types of emergencies: natural and man-made. The NSDMA has been trying to respond to these cases. He lamented that although the training had been designed for communities, earlier there had been no participants.

Kath asserted that Nagas are not serious about disasters although they are in disaster prone zones and that ‘we were very casual towards disasters.’

At the end of the day it is the district administration, the govt. and the department that are at the receiving end from the public, he pointed out.

However, Kath expressed confidence that there will be more respondents with the CFR training programmes being imparted. He assured that the door of the Civil Defence and Home Guards establishment was always there for the public for any suggestions and to impart training to volunteers.

The district project associate for Dimapur B Patrick Golmei furnished a brief report about the training. He said that the trainees, about 10 each from 30 wards and villages, will continue to work with the DDMA in close coordination with the ward/village disaster management authority.

The official said that the topics that were covered during the training programme included the concept of the CFR; basic life support; medical first responder; body assessment; emergency methods of rescue; search marking system; and the do’s and don’ts during an earthquake and fire incidents.

The trainees, Golmei said, were provided with adequate training materials such as training manuals, printed information, stationeries, and safety kits.

The trainees suggested that the equipments and materials that have been provided were not sufficient for the large number of participants—only a few can experience the lessons practically while the rest had to just watch and learn without hands-on experience.

Also, they suggested increasing the number of days for the training and minimising the timing.
The Dimapur deputy commissioner, Kevekha Zehol, also the chairman of DDMA, was optimistic that the state was in safe hands through the participation of the volunteers. He reminded them one cannot escape from disasters as they are bound to happen any day without warning but one needs to be prepared when such a situation happens.

The administrator assured the trainees that their suggestions will be addressed and be incorporated in future training events. He challenged them to borrow the motto of the scouts and guides: “Be prepared.”

The official urged them to share the knowledge they received from the training with at least a few people in their community.