Sri Vijaya Puram, May 25: A comprehensive Earthquake and Fire Mock Drill was conducted at the Isolation Ward of G.B. Pant Hospital, Sri Vijaya Puram on May 23 in compliance with the Chief Secretary’s directive mandating quarterly mock drills across all Departments. The exercise aimed to test the preparedness and response capabilities of the hospital’s paramedical staff.
The drill commenced with a simulated earthquake and subsequent fire scenario. All ward paramedics, staff, and patients adhered to the ‘Duck, Cover and Hold’ protocol for earthquake safety before safely evacuating the building to a designated safe zone.
Dr. Arpita Saha, Additional Medical Superintendent, G.B. Pant Hospital as the Incident Commander (IC) directed the team leaders to conduct a headcount, which revealed that 11 individuals were unaccounted. The Incident Commander immediately activated the search and rescue teams to locate and retrieve the missing individuals. Simultaneously, a simulated fire broke out near the mortuary section. The ward’s fire response team initiated fire fighting measures to contain the blaze.
Upon receiving the mock incident report, personnel from the Fire Department, Police, District Administration, and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) promptly arrived on the scene. Under the coordination of the IC, the Departments worked in unison with the ward teams to extinguish the fire, rescue the missing individuals, and administer first aid to the injured. Doctors on-site examined the injured, and those with major injuries were shifted to the main G.B. Pant Hospital for further medical treatment. The drill concluded with the Incident Commander issuing an “All Clear” signal at 12.15 pm.
During the debriefing session, Shri Janik Ram, Assistant Director, Directorate of Disaster Management, A&N Administration commended all doctors and paramedical staff for their active participation and prompt response during the drill. Dr. B. Ajith Kumar and Dr. Rajeev Ghosh, Nodal Officers from the Directorate of Health Services (DHS), A&N Administration extended their gratitude to all supporting Departments for their cooperation and assistance in the successful completion of the drill.