SDRF Holds Disaster Preparedness Drill for GMC Srinagar’s MBBS Batch 2025 | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: A specialised team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) Bhagat Barzulla on Thursday conducted a comprehensive disaster preparedness and emergency management drill at Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar under the direction of Director SDRF Kashmir Imtiyaz Hussain Mir. The exercise, designed for the MBBS Batch 2025, aimed to build awareness, technical skill, and confidence among medical students expected to serve as frontline responders during emergencies.

During the session, SDRF personnel demonstrated realistic simulations of disaster-related situations, including earthquakes, fires, and drowning incidents. The earthquake module focused on immediate safety actions and victim support before medical teams arrive, while the fire emergency demonstration covered hazard identification, evacuation methods, and structured response techniques. Students were also briefed on drowning rescue steps and essential first-aid procedures required for stabilising patients.

A major component of the drill centred on airway obstruction management in both children and adults, where experts demonstrated the Heimlich manoeuvre, explained clinical cues for detecting choking, and highlighted the differences between partial and complete obstruction. Students practised cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), including chest compressions, rescue breaths, and use of automated external defibrillators, in accordance with international guidelines.

Under supervision, participants also operated fire extinguishers and learned the widely used PASS method—pull, aim, squeeze, sweep—gaining hands-on familiarity with equipment crucial during fire outbreaks.

Officials said the activity was intended to familiarise future doctors with first-responder roles in mass-casualty situations where medical and rescue teams work together. Students were introduced to triage principles, rapid assessment methods, and victim prioritisation during high-pressure scenarios.

Faculty members at GMC Srinagar praised the SDRF’s professionalism, noting that such programmes strengthen preparedness in the healthcare sector by supplementing theoretical learning with practical exposure. Students described the session as confidence-building and said it improved their understanding of disaster medicine, risk communication, and crisis response.

The programme, coordinated by Dr Taha Ayub, assistant professor of Community Medicine at GMC Srinagar, concluded with a commitment to organise similar training sessions regularly to enhance disaster resilience and response capacity in the region.