NDRF teaches security drill to school students

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), which won accolodes for its efficient relief work in Nepal after the April 25 earthquake, has been training students and teachers to tackle disasters like temblors and fire.
The 9th battalion of NDRF based at Bihta in Patna district has been organising mock drill in schools of the Bihar capital to impart necessary lessons in safety to the students, Vijay Sinha, commandant of NDRF, Bihta which looks after Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh, said.
The programme in schools have been conducted as part of 'National School Safety programme', he said.
NDRF Director General O P Singh has laid great stress on teaching dos and donot's to younger ones to help them act intelligently at the time of natural disaster, the commandant said.

Sinha said during the security drill, NDRF personnel demonstrate how to conduct oneself during a calamity like earthquake. Students are taught how to hide under benches at the time of temblor and how to lift bag on head and run to safety.
The schools are told to prepare an evacuation plan and install an emergency bell to alert students in time of such a situation.

"We ask school authorities to display evacuation plan in every class rooms so that students know what route they have to take during emptying in time of crisis like earthquake to avoid stampede and chaos," Sinha said.

The schools are told to constitute disaster management committee under the principal and comprising of 5-6 teachers and class monitors to carry necessary security drill at least once a month, he added.
The NDRF Commandant said similar exercise would be soon carried out in schools and colleges in other cities of Bihar.