Sri Vijaya Puram, March 3: In accordance with the directive of the Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, mandating quarterly mock drills across all Departments, the Directorate of Disaster Management conducted a Fire Drill at the Andaman Public Works Department (APWD), Nirman Bhawan, Sri Vijaya Puram today for fire safety in the APWD.

A fire scenario was created in the building and the drill commenced at 1100 hrs. A fire alert and warning were issued for the immediate evacuation of the office building. State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), District Emergency Operation Centre (DEOC - S/A), Fire, Police, Electricity, and Health Departments were contacted by APWD to provide support for fire management in the building. After the evacuation, search and rescue operations were carried out by teams from APWD, Fire, Police and Aapda Mitras. First aid was provided to the injured and those in need were transported to the hospital by ambulance.

After the drill, a debriefing session was held at 1130 hrs with 170 staff, officials, and Resource Departments. The Incident Commander of APWD emphasized the importance of mock drills for creating disaster preparedness in the office and appreciated the teams from resource Departments for their coordination and support.