Mock drills to test preparedness for forest fires conducted in

The Uttarakhand Disaster Management Department today held mock exercises in different parts of the state to test the preparedness of agencies involved to minimise incidences of forest fires.
Forest fires in Uttarakhand had destroyed thousands of hectares of green cover last year.
Personnel of the army, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the Sashastra Seema Bal, the Central Reserve Police Force and the National Disaster Relief Force also participated in the drill, an official release said.
Held in all districts of the state, different departments co-ordinated among themselves to display how to respond and deal with forest fires through an effective use of the GPS systems, it said.

The personnel also displayed how to use choppers for dousing forest blazes and carrying out rescue efforts, the release said.