Mumbai: The BMC's relentless efforts to train community volunteers in disaster response have begun bearing fruit. In a recent incident outside Currey road station, a group of seven volunteers who were on their way for the ongoing training sessions noticed two injured persons, and immediately took action and helped them get medical assistance in time.
Under Aapda Mitra/Sakhi training programme, which is being run by BMC along with officials of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), aims to train 1,000 citizens in disaster prevention, mitigation and management. The 12 days training session aims at community-based risk reduction and saving lives in the golden hour of an accident or disaster. This training session has turned out to be very helpful in recent incidents.
Seven volunteers who were on their way for the ongoing training sessions at Parel happened to notice two people lying in a pain after a road accident. Vinit Jadhav, a student of Ruparel college said, "while going for a training session on March 1, around 9.20 am one of my friends Rudrakshi Hodgare called me and informed me about an accident she had witnessed. I immediately went to the spot and saw a 55 years old man with a bleeding nose and leg injury. While a 25 years old man riding a bike injured his left leg severely.
Since Rudrakshi is a nursing student, she guided the man with a bleeding nose to take precautions to avoid further damage and informed the police and called an ambulance. Till the time the help arrived, we tore a nearby banner and gave support of a stick to the young man's broken leg and tied a bandage. We had received the first-aid training just one day earlier, which helped us while carrying the injured man on the stretcher when the ambulance arrived," said Jadhav.
Along with Jadhav and Hodgare, Appa Mane, Manish Lad, Nikhil Parab, Ajay Lokare and Tanmay Kusale took timely action and with the presence of mind and proper skill helped the victim, said the civic official. The training session is headed and run by Rashmee Lokhande, chief officer for Disaster Management, and Rajendra Lokhande, training coordinator for the Aapda Mitra/Sakhi programme.
