FIRST-AID

1. g) Make a personal First Aid kit and know its contents

1. h)Should know the Definition and Golden rules of First Aid

Definition: First-aid is the assistance given to any person suffering a sudden illness or injury, with care providing to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, and/or promote recovery.

4. b) Deal with simple Cuts, Burns & Bleeding from the nose.

a) Have knowledge about wounds and know how to deal with Bleeding, Burns and Scalds, Sprains, Stings & Bites

Bleeding: When blood comes out of a blood vessel, it is called bleeding. Bleeding is the immediate complication of a wound & must be treated promptly. Our main aim as a first aider is to prevent infection from occurring.

a. Wash hands thoroughly with soap & water. Do not wipe them.

b. Clean the external wound with plenty of clean drinking water, wipe the surrounding skin gently & remove dirt sticking to the wound. Use plenty of running water & wiping movement should be from wounds outwards.

c. Do not use any antiseptic in water.

d. Dry the surrounding of the wound gently with a dry sterile gauge or freshly laundered soft handkerchief.

e. Extract foreign materials from the wound.

f. Cover the wound with a dry sterile gauge if available; otherwise use freshly laundered, clean, soft handkerchief or dhoti or any other cloth. Do not let cotton come in contact with the wound.

g. Apply a bandage.

h. Do not apply any antiseptic in the large wound. This may get absorbed & cause reactions. Please note that the wound itself has not been washed or touched in an attempt to keep it clean.

b) Demonstrate the use of Roller bandages.

Application:

1. Spiral - This is used on fingers or other uniform surfaces. The bandage is carried around in spirals.

2. Reverse Spiral - This is a modified spiral in which the roll is reversed downwards on itself at each round, it must be used where the thickness of the part varies such as the leg, forearm, etc.

3. Figure of Eight - This type of bandage is applied obliquely, alternatively up & down, so that the loops appear like a figure of '8'. It is used for joints such as the elbow, knee, etc.

4. Crepe Bandage - These are roller bandages made of elastic cotton-weaving material. They are used to support sprains or other soft tissue injuries where there is no wound. They serve the purpose of support the injured joints & also help in reducing the swelling. They can be applied directly to the skin. The method of application is same as roller bandage.

c) Demonstrate the use of a Triangular Bandage for the Head, Hand, Knee, Foot, Ankle, and fracture of Arm.

Triangular Bandage: The standard size of the bandage is 40x40x56 inches

d) Improvise a stretcher

a) Know how to deal with emergency situations such as Drowning, Electric Shock, General Shock, Automobile Accidents, and Human Being caught in the fire.

Drowning:

1. Get Help

Notify a lifeguard, if one is close. If not, ask someone to call an ambulance.

If you are alone, follow the steps below.

2. Take the person out of the water.

3. Check for Breathing: Place your ear next to the person's mouth and nose. Do you feel the air on your cheek? Look to see if the person's chest is moving.

4. If the Person is Not Breathing, Check the person's pulse for 10 seconds.

5. If There is No Pulse, Start CPR

Carefully place the person on the back.

For an adult or child, place the heel of one hand on the center of the chest at the nipple line. You can also push with one hand on top of the other. For an infant, place two fingers on the breastbone.

For an adult or child, press down at least 2 inches. Make sure not to press on ribs. For an infant, press down about 1 and 1/2 inches. Make sure not to press on the end of the breastbone. Do chest compressions only, at the rate of 100-120 per minute or more. Let the chest rise completely between pushes. Check to see if the person has started breathing.

6. Repeat if Person Is Still Not Breathing.

If you've been trained in CPR, you can now open the airway by tilting the head back and lifting the chin.

Pinch the nose of the victim closed. Take a normal breath, cover the victim's mouth with yours to create an airtight seal, and then give 2 one-second breaths as you watch for the chest to rise. Give 2 breaths followed by 30 chest compressions. Continue this cycle of 30 compressions and 2 breaths until the person starts breathing or emergency help arrives.

Shock

Types of Shock: Nervous shock, Established shock

Automobile Accidents:
1. STOP. Never drive away from the scene of an accident, even a minor one.

2. PROTECT THE SCENE. You can prevent further accidents by setting up flares or keeping your flashers on. If it is dark and your lights don’t work, you should have a flashlight to keep you safe while you wait in your disabled car or by the side of the road.

3. CALL THE POLICE. Even if there are no serious injuries, it is a good idea to call the police. You may need a police report to file a claim with your insurance company, even if it is just to make a claim for damage to your vehicle. The vehicles involved in the accident should remain where they are unless they interfere with traffic.

4. MAKE AN ACCURATE RECORD. When the police arrive, make sure you tell the investigating officer(s) exactly what happened, to the best of your ability. If you do not know certain facts, tell that to the officer. Do not speculate, guess or misstate any of the facts. If you are asked if you are injured and you are not sure, say you are not sure, rather than no. Often, the pain and injuries from motor vehicle accidents become apparent hours after the actual collision. You should also make sure statements made by other persons involved in the accident are accurate as well.

5. TAKE PICTURES. If you happen to have a camera in your vehicle, or a cell phone equipped with a camera, you should take pictures of the vehicles if there is visible damage. If you have visible injuries, you should photograph them as well. However, you should in no way interfere with the ongoing police investigation. If you cannot take pictures at the scene of the accident, take them as soon as possible after the accident.

6. EXCHANGE INFORMATION. Typically, the investigating police officer obtains this information. However, if the police do not respond to the accident, you should obtain the name, address, and telephone number of all persons involved in the accident, drivers and passengers alike. You should also obtain information about insurance by asking to see the insurance card for all vehicles involved in the accident. If there are witnesses, you should get information from them as well so that you or your attorney can contact them in the future. If police respond to the accident, the investigating officer usually will provide all drivers with a police report number. You can use that number later to obtain the police report. If the accident occurs on a state highway, you must request a report from the state police.

7. REPORT THE ACCIDENT. Notify your insurance company as soon as possible. Many policies require immediate reporting and full cooperation. Find out if you have medical benefits as part of your insurance coverage.

8. SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION. Often, injuries caused by motor vehicle accidents are not immediately apparent. Most of the casualties report feeling the most pain a day or two following an automobile accident. Unless you are absolutely certain you were not injured, you should seek medical attention at your local emergency room or by seeing your family physician. Even in accidents involving minor impact, you can sustain a serious and permanent injury to your spinal cord. If you lost consciousness or were dazed for even a short period of time following the collision, you may have suffered a concussion or closed head injury. This can cause cognitive and behavioral changes if left untreated.

A choking victim is usually unable to speak, and may not be able to make much sound at all. A universal sign of choking has been designated as a silent indication from a person who is unable to breathe and consists of placing both hands on one's own throat while trying to attract the attention of others who might assist.

Leg

Treatment

Heatstroke treatment centers on cooling your body to a normal temperature to prevent or reduce damage to your brain and vital organs. To do this, your doctor may take these steps:

• Immerse you in cold water. A bath of cold or ice water has been proved to be the most effective way of quickly lowering your core body temperature. The quicker you can receive cold water immersion, the less risk of death and organ damage.

• Use evaporation cooling techniques. If cold water immersion is unavailable, health care workers may try to lower your body temperature using an evaporation method. Cool water is misted on your body while warm air is fanned over you, causing the water to evaporate and cool your skin.

• Pack you with ice and cooling blankets. Another method is to wrap you in a special cooling blanket and apply ice packs to your groin, neck, back, and armpits to lower your temperature.

• Give you medications to stop your shivering. If treatments to lower your body temperature make you shiver, your doctor may give you a muscle relaxant, such as a benzodiazepine. Shivering increases your body temperature, making treatment less effective.

One Rescuer

Two Rescuer

Most of the coursework in this Badge which is mandatory for the advancement of Rajya-Puraskar Scout, is the same as the first-aid courses in earlier course works. But the Scouts will be needed to write them again in Ambulanceman Badge coursework. So, they are advised to get the data from earlier coursework.

(2) Know how to deal with bleeding major and minor.

Same as Dwitiya Sopan Q5 (A).

(3) Diagnose and bind a broken limb.

Same as Dwitiya Sopan Q5 (C) & Tritiya Sopan Q4 (C).

(4) Know how to deal with choking by Heimlich’s maneuver.

Same as Tritiya Sopan Q4 (B).

(5) Demonstrate mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

(6) Demonstrate how to make an improvised stretcher and apply a roller bandage.

Same as Dwitiya Sopan Q5 (D).

(7) Demonstrate how to send a correct message, verbal, written, or by telephone.

Write or tell clearly about the following when you are reporting about an incident

1. Date & Time of occurrence.

2. Area of the incident (like in the middle of the road, by-lane of the road, roadside, ground, etc)

3. No of casualties

4. How the incident occurs as per eye-witness's report

5. First-aid provided or not? If provided, write/tell what is given

6. The Present condition of casualties

7. Your details (for further correspondence)

(8) Demonstrate two methods of carrying a casualty with one first aider and two more methods of carrying a casualty when there are two first aiders.

Same as Tritiya Sopan Q4 (G).

(1) Know the definition of Disaster and Hazard.

• A disaster is a serious problem occurring over a short or long period of time that causes widespread human, material, economic or environmental loss which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources.

• A hazard is a potential source of harm. Substances, events, or circumstances can constitute hazards when their nature would allow them, even just theoretically, to cause damage to health, life, property, or any other interest of value. The probability of that harm being realized in a specific incident, combined with the magnitude of potential harm, makes up its risk, a term often used synonymously in colloquial speech.

(2) Know various types of Disaster expected in their area – Natural and Man-made.

The following are the disasters which happened over past years & they are also likely to happen in future

• Natural:

Floods:

• 2000 India–Bangladesh floods, also known as the flood of 2000 occurred in the districts of West Bengal, India and the India-Bangladesh border districts of Khulna Division in 2000. In the sudden flood, people left their houses and took shelter in refugee camps.

• Following heavy rain in July and August 2017, the Indian state of West Bengal was affected by severe flooding. The floods were reported to have caused 50 deaths since 1 August and 8 deaths in the neighbouring state of Jharkhand. Soon after these floods, North Bengal also witnessed floods that wreaked havoc over the seven districts and killed 3 people.

Cyclone:

• 1965 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. This season includes three deadly back-to-back cyclones that affected West Bengal and Bangladesh collectively in the months of May, June and November killing up to 50000 people.

• The 2002 West Bengal cyclone (JTWC designation: 03B, officially known as Severe Cyclonic Storm BOB 03) was a deadly tropical cyclone that affected India and Bangladesh in November 2002. The sixth tropical cyclone and fourth cyclonic storm of the 2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, it developed in the Bay of Bengal northeast of Sri Lanka on November 10, as a tropical depression. After tracking northeast, the system strengthened into a cyclonic storm on November 11, as maximum sustained winds exceeded 65 km/h (40 mph). On November 12, it further intensified into a severe cyclonic storm. Later that day, the storm made landfall on Sagar Island in West Bengal with winds of 100 km/h (60 mph). After moving inland, it rapidly weakened and dissipated over Bangladesh on November 12. Rough seas offshore Odisha caused two fishing trawlers to collide, resulting in 18 fatalities, while two additional trawlers were reported missing.

• Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Bulbul formed on November 6 from the remnants of Severe Tropical Storm Matmo which traversed into the Bay of Bengal. Bulbul then underwent a rapid intensification, becoming a very severe cyclonic storm on November 8 and made landfall at West Bengal. It produced heavy rain over many parts of West Bengal

• Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan explosively intensified from a Category 1-equivalent cyclone to a Category 4-equivalent cyclone in just 6 hours and further into category 5-equivalent cyclone and Super Cyclonic Storm. It made landfall on May 20 near Bakkhali, West Bengal after weakening subsequently. It left behind a trail of catastrophic damage and was later confirmed to be the costliest storm ever recorded in the basin. 128 deaths were recorded

• Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Yaas made landfall over the state of Odisha becoming the second cyclone to hit the nation within a span of ten days. The most affected states are West Bengal and Odisha. At least 10 million people were affected and 300,000 houses were damaged. Most of them were caused by storm surge, high astronomical tides and broken embankments. The cyclone also affected Nepal and Bangladesh.

Pandemic:

• • The 2008 bird flu outbreak in West Bengal is an occurrence of avian influenza in West Bengal, India that began on January 16, 2008. The infection was caused by the H5N1 subtype of the Influenza A virus and occurred in at least thirteen districts, including Birbhum, Nadia, Murshidabad, Burdwan, Hooghly, Cooch Behar, Malda, Bankura, Purulia, Howrah, West Midnapore, South 24 Parganas and South Dinajpur and several new inclusion are reported daily. A range of precautions has been instituted including a large cull of chickens, eggs, and poultry birds, the imposition of segregation zones, and a disinfection programme for the plant. The government had put a blanket ban on the movement of poultry birds from West Bengal.

  • The COVID-19 pandemic was first confirmed in the Indian state of West Bengal on 17 March 2020 in Kolkata. The Health and Family Welfare department of the Government of West Bengal has confirmed a total of 13,43,442 COVID-19 positive cases, including 1,09,806 active cases, 15,120 deaths and 12,18,516 recoveries, as of 28 May 2021

• Man-made:

Ferry sinking:

• The 2010 West Bengal Ferry Sinking was an incident that occurred on Saturday, 30 October 2010, when an overcrowded ferry carrying Muslim pilgrims sank after hitting a sandbank on the Bhagirathi River in the Indian state of West Bengal. Thus far at least 74 bodies have been recovered, with much more missing, feared swept downstream.

Hospital Fire:

• The 2011 AMRI Hospital fire was a major fire at a private hospital in Dhakuria, Kolkata, that occurred in the early morning of 9 December 2011. The hospital is part of a private hospital chain owned by the Emami & Sarachi group, known as AMRI Hospitals. The fire claimed 89 victims and was thought to have been caused by a short circuit in the basement. The spread of the fire was aided by the illegal storage of flammable material in the basement of the hospital. After the incident, the directors of the hospital were taken into custody.

Market Fire:

• The 2006 Kolkata leather factory fire was a deadly industrial fire that occurred in West Bengal, India, on 22 November 2006. The fire broke out in a leather bag factory located in the Tannix International, Topsia, in the South 24 Parganas district in the Greater Kolkata area, and generated a wave of criticism of the poor safety standards in place among the country's sweatshops. 30 people killed in that disaster.

• The Stephen Court fire was a major fire in a historical building, Stephen Court, that occurred in March 2010 in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The fire started by a short circuit in the lifts at 2:15 p.m. IST, rapidly engulfing the fifth and sixth floors. A delay in the start of rescue operations was experienced due to the inadequate planning and preparedness of the fire-service department. Many occupants of the building were forced onto narrow ledges on the sides of the building. 43 people died in the fire. More than 300 firemen and 40 fire tenders were involved in bringing the blaze under control.

• The 2013 Kolkata market fire was a fire accident that occurred in a five-storeyed marketplace in Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal, India, on 27 February 2013. An estimated 19 people, who were mostly labourers working in the market were killed in the accident. Initial reports indicate the fire might have been initiated by a short circuit on the first floor of the market.

Stampede:

• Football Lovers' Day is observed in memorial to be the most tragic day in Indian football history, when 16 football fans died due to a stampede and riot inside the Eden Gardens stadium in Kolkata on 16 August 1980 on the occasion of a Kolkata Derby match in the Calcutta Football League.

Train Accident:

• The 2013 Chapramari Forest train accident occurred on 13 November 2013 in the eastern area of the Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary, Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal. The accident killed or injured 17 Indian elephants and has been described as the worst of its kind in recent history.

• The Sainthia train collision occurred on 19 July 2010, at the Sainthia Junction railway station in Sainthia, India, when the Uttar Banga Express collided with the Vananchal Express which was leaving the platform. 66 people died as a result of the accident, and 165 people were reported injured

• The 2006 West Bengal train disaster was a fatal suspected terrorist explosion on a train travelling between New Jalpaiguri and Haldibari that occurred on 20 November 2006, when the train was in a remote part of West Bengal State, India. Five people were killed, and between fifty and twenty-five were injured

Flyover collapsed:

• On 31 March 2016, a 150 m (490 ft) steel span of the under-construction Vivekananda Road flyover in the Girish Park neighbourhood of Kolkata, India, collapsed. 27 people died and 50 more were injured in the accident.

• The 2018 Kolkata bridge collapse refers to the collapse of the Majerhat Bridge, in the city of Kolkata, India, on 4 September 2018. The bridge collapsed at around 4:45 PM (IST), resulting in the death of three people injuries to at least 25 others.

(3) Know about different agencies working on Disaster Management.

Logos are copyrighted to respective govt. departments. Here is for representation only

National Disaster Management Authority, abbreviated as NDMA, is an apex body of the Government of India, with a mandate to lay down policies for disaster management. NDMA was established through the Disaster Management Act enacted by the Government of India on 23 December 2005.[2] NDMA is responsible for framing policies, laying down guidelines, and best practices for coordinating with the State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) to ensure a holistic and distributed approach to disaster management.

Functions and responsibilities

NDMA, as the apex body, is mandated to lay down the policies, plans, and guidelines for Disaster Management to ensure a timely and effective response to disasters. Towards this, it has the following responsibilities:

• Lay down policies on disaster management;

• Approves the National Plan;

• Approve plans prepared by the Ministries or Departments of the Government of India in accordance with the National Plan;

• Lay down guidelines to be followed by the State Authorities in drawing up the State Plan;

• Lay down guidelines to be followed by the different Ministries or Departments of the Government of India for the purpose of integrating the measures for prevention of disaster or the mitigation of its effects in their development plans and projects;

• Coordinate the enforcement and implementation of the policy and plans for disaster management;

• Recommend provision of funds for the purpose of mitigation;

• Provide such support to other countries affected by major disasters as may be determined by the Central Government;

• Take such other measures for the prevention of disaster, or the mitigation, or preparedness and capacity building for dealing with threatening disaster situations or disasters as it may consider necessary;

• Lay down broad policies and guidelines for the functioning of the National Institute of Disaster Management.

• NDMA also equips and trains other Government officials, institutions and the community in mitigation for and response during a crisis situation or a disaster. It works closely with the National Institute of Disaster Management for capacity building. It develops practices, delivers hands-on training and organizes drills for disaster management. It also equips and trains disaster management cells at the state and local levels.

• NDMA, under the Ministry of Home Affairs can also be assigned with the responsibility for protection of cyber critical infrastructure. As a result NDMA has overlapping responsibilities with CERT-IN of MeitY and NCIIPC of the NTRO when it comes to securing critical/non-critical infrastructure

Following are the guidelines as per NDMA's official website:

• Guidelines for Preparation of Action Plan - Prevention and Management of Heat Wave

• Landslide Risk Management Strategy

• Guidelines on Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction

• Guidelines on Temporary Shelters for Disaster-affected Families

• Guidelines on Prevention & Management of Thunderstorm & Lightning/Squall/Dust/Hailstorm & Strong Winds

• Guidelines on Boat Safety

• Guidelines on Cultural Heritage Sites and Precincts

• Guidelines on Museums

• Guidelines on Minimum Standards of Relief

• Guidelines on Hospital Safety

• Guidelines on School Safety Policy

• Guidelines on Seismic Retrofitting of Deficient Buildings and Structures

• Guidelines on Scaling, Type of Equipment and Training of Fire Services

• Guidelines on National Disaster Management Information and Communication System

• Guidelines on Management of Drought

• Guidelines on Management of Urban Flooding

• Guidelines on Management of Dead in the Aftermath of Disaster

• Guidelines on Management of Tsunamis

• Guidelines on Incident Response System

• Guidelines on Psycho-Social Support and Mental Health Services in Disasters

• Guidelines on Management of Chemical(Terrorism) Disasters

• Guidelines on Management of Landslides and Snow Avalanches

• Guidelines on Management of Nuclear and Radiological Emergencies

• Guidelines on Management of Biological Disasters

• Guidelines on Management of Cyclones

• Guidelines on Management of Floods8

• Guidelines on Medical Preparedness and Mass Casualty Management

• Guidelines on Preparation of State Disaster Management Plans

• Guidelines on Chemical Disasters

• Guidelines on Management of Earthquakes

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is an Indian specialized force constituted "for the purpose of a special response to a threatening disaster situation or disaster" under the Disaster Management Act, 2005: section 44–45 The "Apex Body for Disaster Management"[citation needed] in India is the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The Chairman of the NDMA is the Prime Minister.

The responsibility of managing disasters in India is that of the State Government. The ‘Nodal Ministry’ in the central government for the management of natural disasters is the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

When 'calamities of severe nature' occur, the Central Government is responsible for providing aid and assistance to the affected state, including deploying, at the State's request, of Armed Forces, Central Paramilitary Forces, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and such communication, air and other assets, as are available and needed.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is under the National Disaster Management Authority. The head of the NDRF is designated as Director-General. The Director Generals of NDRF are IPS officers on deputation from Indian police organizations. Director-General is a three-star officer.

The NDRF is a top-heavy organization which in addition to the Director-General has several Inspector Generals (IG) and Deputy IGs, who are flag officers and wear badges of rank.

WEST BENGAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT & CIVIL DEFENCE DEPARTMENT. The departmental set-up has been created in all the Districts, Sub-Division and Blocks of the state. West Bengal is the only state in the country where this departmental structure exists in all tiers of the administration. The department works under the leadership of the Block Dev. Officer in the blocks, Sub-Divisional officer in the Sub-Division and the District Magistrate in the Districts. The major activities of the department include pre-disaster preparation for relief and rehabilitation, storing of tarpaulins, clothing and other relief articles, construction of a multi-purpose shelter for the community in the flood and cyclone-prone areas, providing one time grant for economic rehabilitation of the people in BPL list under different schemes either under small trade or sewing machine, distributing wheat to the destitute and poorest persons throughout the year.

At present the activities of the department has spread to wider areas. Under the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) programme, disaster risk mapping and preparedness, vulnerability mapping, providing practical ideas to reduce disaster risk in development planning, capacity building of the vulnerable communities through continuous training are some of the important activities that the department undertakes

Aim

The aim of the West Bengal State Disaster Management Department is to establish necessary systems, structures, programs, resources, capabilities and guiding principles for reducing disaster risks and preparing for and responding to disasters and threats of disasters in the State of West Bengal in order to save lives and property, avoid disruption of economic activity and damage to the environment and to ensure the continuity and sustainability of development.

Mission

Promoting social and economic empowerment of women through cross-cutting policies and programmes, mainstreaming gender concerns, creating awareness about their rights and facilitating institutional and legislative support for enabling them to realize their human rights and develop to their full potential.2. Ensuring development, care and protection of children through cross-cutting policies and programmes, spreading awareness about their rights and facilitating access to learning, nutrition, institutional and legislative support for enabling them to grow and develop to their full potential.

Objectives:

• To assess the risks and vulnerabilities associated with various disasters,

• To develop appropriate disaster prevention and mitigation strategies,

• To provide clarity on roles and responsibilities for all stakeholders concerned with disaster management so that disasters can be managed more effectively,

• To develop and maintain arrangements for accessing resources, equipment, supplies and funding in preparation for disasters that might occur,

• To ensure that arrangements are in place to mobilize the resources and capability for relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction and recovery from disasters,

• To create awareness and preparedness and provide advice and training to the agencies involved in disaster management and to the community,

• To strengthen the capacities of the community and establish and maintain effective systems for responding to disasters,

• To ensure co-ordination with agencies related to disaster management in other Indian States and those at the national and international level,

• To ensure relief assistance to the affected without any discrimination of caste, creed, community or religious

• To establish and maintain a proactive programme of risk reduction, this programme being implemented through existing sectoral development programmes and being part of the overall development process in the state,

• To develop and implement prog rammes for risk sharing and risk transfer for all types of disasters

• To address gender issues in disaster management with special thrust on empowerment of women towards long term disaster mitigation,

• To develop disaster management as distinct management discipline and creation of a systematic and streamlined disaster management cadre.

(4) Have the basic knowledge of Civil Defence and Fire Brigade.

Civil Defence Organisation

The West Bengal Civil Defence organisation is headed by an IPS officer of Director General rank. It has four wings, Civil Defence, West Bengal Civil Emergency Force, Water Wing Civil Defence and Casualty Section. Every district has a Civil Defence Corps and the District Magistrate is also the Controller of Civil Defence for the district and every Sub Divisional Officer is the Dy. Controller of Civil Defence for the subdivision. For the Kolkata area, there is a separate Controller of Civil Defence. For administrative purposes, the Kolkata area is subdivided into three sub-areas, Kolkata North, Kolkata Central and Kolkata South, each headed by a Dy. Controller of Civil Defence.

• West Bengal is one of the limited numbers of states having a Central Civil Defence Training Institute, located at 199, N.S.C. Bose Road, Kolkata 700040.

• The Water Wing of Civil Defence assists in rescue and relief operations through the use of speed boats, floating aids and trained manpower and volunteers.

• West Bengal Civil Emergency Force attends to any emergency and disaster with Quick Response Teams, rescue equipment, speed boats and trained manpower and volunteers.

• The entire state of West Bengal has been declared as a Civil Defence area. Each district has a large number of Civil Defence volunteers who work continuously in the community towards fulfilling the 12 services of Civil Defence.

• Each district has at least two Civil Defence Rescue Vehicles, fully equipped with modern rescue equipment to respond immediately to any emergency.

Civil Defence activities

As per the Civil Defence Act, 1968, “civil defence” includes any measures, not amounting to actual combat, for affording protection to any person, property, place or thing in India or any part of the territory thereof against any hostile attack, whether from air, land, sea or other places, or, for depriving any such attack of the whole or part of its effect, whether such measures are taken before, during, at or after the time of such attack or any measure taken for the purpose of disaster management, before, during, at, or after any disaster.”

The West Bengal Civil Defence Organisation covers the following 12 services:

• Headquarters service

• Communication service

• Warden service

• Casualty service

• Firefighting service

• Training service

• Rescue service

• Depot and transport service

• Supply service

• Salvage service

• Welfare service

• Corpse disposal service

Multi-disciplinary Centres

West Bengal Civil Defence has two Multi-Disciplinary Centres, at Siliguri and Asansol.

Rescue Centres

West Bengal Civil Defence has three Rescue Centres at Mohanpur (Paschim Medinipur), Pursura (Hooghly) and Basirhat (North 24 Parganas).

Civil Defence volunteers

So far, 76,622 volunteers have been trained for Civil Defence in West Bengal. Out of them, 17,353 volunteers are engaged in active civil defence work across the various districts of West Bengal. Anyone under the age of 60, having passed Madhyamik, can become a Civil Defence volunteer by enrolling for the same and undergoing the requisite training.

Activities

Following are some of the major activities of West Bengal Civil Defence:

• Monsoon deployment in flood-prone districts

• Ganga Sagar Mela deployment

• Deployment during major festivals and celebrations

• Deployment for emergencies and disasters

• Mock exercises for emergencies and disasters

• Relief, rescue and first aid

• Disaster and emergency monitoring

Fire & Emergency Services, Govt. Of West Bengal

• Fire Service in West Bengal started functioning long back in the name and style of Calcutta Fire Brigade. During the last World war, the necessity for augmenting the strength of the Calcutta Fire Brigade and also for providing fire safety in other city areas of undivided Bengal was keenly felt. The Calcutta Fire Brigade was strengthened by the addition of auxiliary fire service, the cost of which was born entirely by Govt., and a parallel organization named The Bengal Fire Service was created by Govt., under which fire stations were established in densely populated and industrial towns of Bengal. After cessation of last world war and partition of Bengal, Govt. Decided to maintain a permanent State Fire Service covering the whole of West Bengal. Pursuant to that decision, The West Bengal Fire Service Act. 1950 was enacted and the employees of the Calcutta Fire Brigade, the auxiliary Fire Service, and the Bengal Fire Service were absorbed in the newly created West Bengal Fire Services under the administrative control of the Local Self Government department, now known as the Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Department. Chinese aggression in 1962 led to the establishment of a large number of fire stations and the appointment of consequential supervisory staff. Since then the West Bengal Fire Service expanded gradually. In the year 2001, the Fire Service Department has been segregated from the Municipal Affairs Department and was established as a newly created Department of Fire Services under an independent Ministry vide Govt. Notification No. 436-Home(Constitution and Election) dated 14.12.2001. Thus West Bengal became the first state in the country to have a separate Ministry for Fire Services. The West Bengal Fire Services is renamed as West Bengal Fire & Emergency Services in the year 2005 vide Govt. Notification No.- 82/FS/O/C-1/2E-41/2004 dated 10th June 2005.

• The West Bengal Fire & Emergency Services is a State-wise organization providing a total of 110 Fire stations equipped with about 550 different types of Fire Engines manned by about 6500 trained Fire Fighters with available accessories. New Fire Stations like Mainaguri and Falakata have been set up very recently and Gobardanga, Alampur, Harishchandrapur, Dankuni, Nonadanga, Khatra, Dalkhola, Rajarhat, Egra, Sonarpur, Pragati maidan, Jhalda, Kakdeep, Canning, Lalbag, Memeri, Mirik, etc are coming up very shortly.

• The Fire Service has planned to set up Fire Service Academy at Kalyani, Nadia in very near future.

(5) Be able to explain what Disaster Preparedness is and list out different tips for Disaster Preparedness.

• Disaster preparedness refers to measures taken to prepare for and reduce the effects of disasters. That is, to predict and, where possible, prevent disasters, mitigate their impact on vulnerable populations, and respond to and effectively cope with their consequences.

• Disaster preparedness provides a platform to design effective, realistic, and coordinated planning reduces duplication of efforts, and increases the overall effectiveness of National Societies, household, and community members' disaster preparedness and response efforts. Disaster preparedness activities embedded with risk reduction measures can prevent disaster situations and also result in saving maximum lives and livelihoods during any disaster situation, enabling the affected population to get back to normalcy within a short time period.

• Disaster preparedness is a continuous and integrated process resulting from a wide range of risk reduction activities and resources rather than from a distinct sectoral activity by itself. It requires the contributions of many different areas—ranging from training and logistics to health care, recovery, livelihood to institutional development.

Disaster preparedness tools

• International Federation approach: The National Societies should prioritize disaster preparedness and integrate it into their overall programming efforts.

• Community preparedness: Disaster preparedness provides a platform to design effective, realistic, and coordinated planning reduces duplication of efforts, and increases the overall effectiveness of National Societies.

• Early warning: Early warning systems have limitations in terms of saving lives if they are not combined with “people-centered” networks.

• Better programming initiative: The better Programming Initiative (BPI) is an impact assessment tool developed by the International Federation and adapted from the Local Capacities for Peace Project (LCPP).

• Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (VCA): Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (VCA) uses various participatory tools to gauge people’s exposure to and capacity to resist natural hazards.

• Well-prepared National Societies: Well-prepared National Societies (WPNS) is a self-assessment tool that helps National Societies recognize, prioritize and plan activities to improve their capacity for disaster management.

• Contingency planning: Contingency planning aims to prepare an organization to respond well to an emergency and its potential humanitarian impact.

• Training for response: The aim of disaster management training is to build the capacity of staff and volunteers to improve preparedness and response at all levels before during and after disasters.

• Logistics preparedness: Logistics preparedness is a key component of any disaster reduction effort. It must be based on the vulnerability and resource assessment.

(6) Know the safety knowledge – at Home, Industry, Traffic.

TRAFFIC

• Keep To Your Left

• Stay Left When You Turn Left

• Emergency Vehicles – It is your responsibility to give way to emergency services vehicles such as fire engines and ambulances.

• U” Turns- U-turns can only be taken when there is no warning sign nearby you give a proper indication to other vehicle drivers that you are going to take a U turn

• Indicators – Always use indicators to let other road users know about the planned change in the direction of travel. If your vehicle indicators get damaged without any warning, use hand signals

• Parking – Make sure you don’t park your vehicle in a way it causes any hurdle or disturbance to any other road users.

• Registration – Your vehicle’s registration plate should be visible at all times. In case it is broken or damaged, you need to get it replaced at the earliest. Driving a vehicle with its registration number not being visible is a serious offence.

• One way Roads – Always drive only in the permissible direction on a one-way road. Also, never park your vehicle in reverse on a one way street.

• Stop Lines – Always stop your vehicle behind the stop lines. On roads with no stop lines, make sure your vehicle comes to a halt before the Zebra-crossing.

• Towing – No vehicles should be towed closer to other vehicles on the road. However, vehicles that are mechanically disabled and those confiscated by the police are exceptions to this rule.

• Noise – Drivers should not horn needlessly or excessively or use them in no-honking zones like hospital zones and school zones, etc. Also, one should not drive with non-OEM-spec silencers

• Traffic Lights and Signs should be always obeyed. One should respect instructions given by a traffic cop when there are no traffic lights available.

• Following Distance – Always keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you as this will give you enough time to come to a stop in case the vehicle in front brakes suddenly.

• Right of way on Steep Roads – When going up on an incline, you have the right of way as it might be difficult for you to stop and regain momentum. The vice versa holds true when you’re driving downhill.

• Obstruction of View – You should always have a clear view of the road ahead. Therefore, your car’s windshield shouldn’t have stickers that might obstruct your view.

(7) Describe about the accident-prone areas at roads, bathing places, places of gathering, etc. in your locality.

Accident Prone area at Kanchrapara, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal

Thana More, Gandhi More, Laxmi Cinema more, Bag more, Jonepur High road crossing, Kampa High road crossing, Tiktiki Bazar etc.

Try to write accident prone areas as per your local residence.

(8) Be able to establish Messenger Service including sending messages through Fax / Telephone / Telex / SMS / e-mail/Youtube/Face Book & reporting the local situation in case of Disasters.

• You should have social media accounts & Like/Follow the local authorities well in advance to contact them in case of disaster.

• Recharge your mobile sufficiently prior to any natural disasters which may be predicted in advance.

• Report your condition in a brief while posting through social media with proper photographs.

• Note down your verbal/telephonic communications if any.

• Don't waste precious time by giving unnecessary information to the authority.

(9) Know the role of media in Disaster Management.

(10) Be able to state the Rehabilitative method and find out Government Agency and NGO that can support.

Role of voluntary organizations

Where, the distress is of mass dimension, the state alone cannot undertake the burden of providing relief to the disaster victims. Under such circumstances, voluntary organizations can play a dual role; that of providing the supplements that are vital and of critically evaluating the relief provided to the people. Disaster victims, especially when they are impoverished, cannot voice their grievances. Voluntary Agencies can monitor distress and appeal to the public conscience.

Voluntary interventions The following are a few interventions that can be induced by voluntary agencies for rescue and relief of the disaster victims.

a) Disaster Management and counseling centers

b) Disaster Management and trauma care

c) Ambulance facility for Disaster victims

d) Low-cost housing schemes for disaster victims

e) Production of pre fabricated panels for temporary shelters at earthquake/flood-affected areas

f) Community kitchen

g) Medical relief

h) Distribution of clothes and essential supplies

Institutional support The following institutions support various initiatives taken by voluntary agencies rescue and rehabilitation of disaster victims.

a) International Agencies

1. UNO

2. UNICEF

3. UNDRO

4. OXFAM

5. Red Cross

6. CARITAS

b) National Agencies

1. Indian Red Cross

2. OXFAM India

3. Action Aid India

4. Action for World solidarity

5. Central public works Department

6. Ministry of Rural Development

7. NABARD

8. HUDCO

https://www.madadwelfare.org.in/5.Disaster%20Rehabilitation.pdf