"Practice makes one perfect" is a common adage, which is known and believed by most. Any skill to become a routine action or a virtually instinctive response requires constant practice of the same. This is all the more pertinent in the case of disaster management. The time gap between the event and the rescue action has to be minimal and thus the skill of rescue operations has to become an innate part of the disaster management volunteer.

In a disaster, the actions performed to safely extricate the self and others from that situation are known as 'rescue operations'. During the rescue operations it is also important to take care to minimize the damage to life and property in the surroundings.

Disasters are of varied types, thus the rescue practices also differ to a certain degree depending on the type and scale. The course design on Rescue Practices thus focuses on the drill and discipline required to make the skill and art needed for the operations an inherent part of the person conducting the rescue operation.

• To create a practice platform for proficiency and dexterity in the skills learnt in the disaster management course
  
• To simulate real life disaster situations that will help participants respond appropriately and without fear at the time of actual disasters
  
• To create teams of Disaster Management Volunteers (DMV's) across the country at the local Upasana Kendra level to combat emergencies

• Provides the participants with opportunities to expand their network of contacts
• Positions the learner as a leader in the local community Creates an opportunity to be able to graduate in becoming a senior trainer in the Academy
  
• The DMV's of AADM get an opportunity to support Government agencies during celebrations, festivals, fairs and other programs

To cite an example of the opportunities the course provides for supporting and serving others id given below:

In 2005, in the disaster at the Mandardevi festival, where several died in the stampede, the corpses were carried by the DMV's of Wahie from the disaster site to a safe location and their work was deeply appreciated by the Police department. The bodies were carried out from the most adverse conditions, the place was difficult to reach and was very slippery and in spite of this the DMV's showed their presence of mind and faced the situation very courageously.

The courage and presence of mind shown by Shri Aniruddha Bapu's, DMV's in the most adverse conditions was significantly appreciated and now every year a request is received through the police from the Mandardevi Trust for the services of the AADM volunteers

• The rescue practices are conducted to help the DMV to be in touch with the techniques learnt. This exercise is conducted twice a week for about 1-2 hours at the local level within the vicinity of where the participants reside.

The course framework is based on the premise of practice and the use of different objects for rescue is thus demonstrated. In the rescue practice course the following items are utilized:

• Rope and a triangle piece of cloth or bandage to tie any injury
• Different kinds stretchers to transport the injured victims from the disaster site to a safe location

 

The use of rope or bandage: This is generally used in floods, during fire and house collapse in rescuing people out of the disaster site. In practice different knots are taught to rescue people and accordingly regular training is given and information is also disseminated on how to rescue people

Facts and instruction is given on how to draw out some one who is caught in a fire, the kind of knots required to pull the victim or the unconscious out of the fire and if there is smoke, how to pull the victims out of that room to a safe location

Similarly in the case of bandages during the training and practice sessions different kind of bandage knots are demonstrated for practice

Transportation of injured victims from the disaster site to a safe location: Participants learn to categorize the wounded according to the intensity of their injury – slightly injured, seriously injured and the critical ones emergency patients and accordingly what type of first aid should be administered to them.

Different types of individual and group carrying techniques are taught and rigorously practiced during the program.

The criticality of giving the requisite first aid based on the degree of injury and the quick shifting of the victim to a rescue site are the two most important factors of a rescue operation. The basic tenet of this program is to give meticulous practice in both the above mentioned practices