Sri Vijaya Puram, March 10: 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 Safety Drill at the Directorate of Information, Publicity & Tourism (IP&T), Andaman & Nicobar Administration today. Officers and staff of IP&T actively participated in the drill, coordinating with all resource Departments to manage the simulated fire scenario.

The drill commenced at 11 am with the activation of a fire alarm, alerting all floors of the building to evacuate immediately and assemble in a designated safe area at the IP&T parking lot. A headcount was conducted at the assembly area, and any missing persons were reported to the Incident Commander. The Incident Commander then instructed the communication team to alert the resource Departments and initiated search and rescue operations for the missing individuals. Fire extinguishers available within the Department were used to suppress the fire.

Upon receiving communication from IP&T, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) and District Emergency Operation Centre (DEOC) informed the District Administration, Police, Fire Department, Health Services, and Electricity Department to deploy their teams for assistance. The resource Departments promptly arrived at the site and worked in coordination with IP&T to manage the situation effectively.

The drill concluded at 11.40 am and was followed by a debriefing session with the Officers and staff of IP&T. Observers from the resource Departments shared their observations and emphasized the importance of regularly checking fire extinguishers to ensure their proper functioning. They also recommended conducting regular training sessions on fire safety, first aid, and search and rescue to enhance disaster preparedness of the IP&T team.