Bhubaneswar: As per the direction of the Centre, the Odisha government has made necessary arrangements for conducting a full-scale civil defence mock drill in 12 districts from Wednesday.
The week-long drill simulating wartime civilian preparedness will be conducted in Angul, Balasore, Bhadrak, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Khurda, Kendrapada, Koraput, Puri, Sambalpur and Sundargarh, officials said.
According to Fire Service DG Sudhansu Sarangi, the mock drill is slated to begin at 4 pm on Wednesday. The exercise will be held in a selected number of urban areas of the 12 districts on the first day. The OSDMA will conduct the drill in its transit shelters in the coastal areas.
In Bhubaneswar, the mock drill will be held between Rajmahal Square and Sishu Bhawan Square and Bapujinagar area of the capital city from 4 pm to 4.30 pm.
As per the schedule, there will be air raid warning sirens between 4 pm and 4.05 pm, while possible mock attack timing is from 4.05 pm to 4.15 pm, abating siren from 4.15 pm to 4.20 pm. From 4.20 pm to 4.30 pm, there will be mock drill by fire, civil defence, medical operation etc.
What to do after air raid siren:
During the exercise, air raid sirens will be activated at 4 pm for nearly five minutes and people will be asked to take shelter under concrete roof. A second siren will blare after a gap of 15-20 minutes signalling that the threat is over and people can move out. The exercise will also include rescue, relief and firefighting drills and involve NCC cadets as well as youth volunteer groups.
Salient Features of the drill:
• Air Raid Sirens: Sirens will sound at the beginning and end of the drill.
• Evacuation Procedures: Simulated evacuations will be conducted to test the readiness of emergency services and the public.
• Emergency Response Simulations: Scenarios such as bombings and air raids will be simulated to assess the response of various agencies.
• Public Guidance: Instructions will be provided to the public on how to react during emergencies, including seeking shelter and following official directives.
– People are advised to move to concrete houses
– Slum-dwellers will be relocated to shelter homes
– Civil defence volunteers will again activate the siren and inform the people about the end of mock drill.
– The NCC, NSS, Apada Mitras, regional voluntary organisations will be mobilised for the rescue work informed the Fire Services DG.
– Control rooms will be set up and start functioning at district and state level. As per the Geneva Charter, the enemy nation cannot attack on the Red Cross and Civil Defense.
– The Collectors will be the controller of the Civil Defence and the heads of these viz the health, food supply etc will be appointed as the wardens.
– The shelter homes in the coastal areas will be made functional
Keep a basic emergency kit ready, including:
Torch with extra batteries
Water bottles
Non-perishable food items
First aid kit
Immediately stop outdoor activities and proceed to the nearest shelter.
Avoid using phones unless necessary to keep communication lines free for emergencies.
