Nagpur: With an aim of safeguarding society and nation, 65 volunteers from various states across are undergoing an 'Auxiliary Fire Fighting Course' at National Civil Defence College (NCDC) in the city.
On Tuesday, they experienced a sense of pride and compassion as they celebrated 'International Volunteers Day'. The day also reminded them they have to shoulder the responsibility of enlightening people of survival techniques and protecting lives.
Encouraging more and more people for volunteering is the need of the hour as in India we are more prone to being victims of disasters, feels GS Saini, director NCDC. "The time available to react to a calamity is very less and the situation might worsen by the time government agencies reach for help. If common people are aware about survival techniques, they would be able to minimize the damage during critical times," Saini told TOI.
In 1957, NCDC was mandated to train revenue officials and other organizations which had a role in humanitarian assistance. The college offers 29 different courses dealing with emergencies like floods, cyclones, earthquakes, nuclear radiations and more.
Volunteers from Gujarat, Assam, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Bihar are undergoing the six weeks master training after which they will be a certified trainer. They can conduct sessions for communities, organizations, industries and schools and educate people about the same.
The enthusiasm to serve the nation was evident through the sincerity and dedication shown by each one, be it a 20-year-old or 52-year-old volunteer.
According to the volunteers, they have overcome their fears, upgraded skills and experienced fulfilment during the training. Some of them have witnessed fatal accidents and damage to life and property in the past which triggered the desire in them to take up civil defence.
The main objective is to reduce the risk and mortality rate, said Hemant Kumar from Delhi. "The training has given me confidence to secure myself, my family, neighbourhood and workplace. If we adapt the 'each one teach one' method, we can build a nation capable of fighting crisis and thus achieve our goal," he said.
Even if there an fire extinguisher in front of us, hardly anyone knows how to use it, said the volunteers. "Fire evacuation drill should be carried out at least twice a year in schools and other organizations to increase the level of preparedness. Proper safety equipment should be installed and demonstrations given on its use," they said.
On Tuesday, they experienced a sense of pride and compassion as they celebrated 'International Volunteers Day'. The day also reminded them they have to shoulder the responsibility of enlightening people of survival techniques and protecting lives.
Encouraging more and more people for volunteering is the need of the hour as in India we are more prone to being victims of disasters, feels GS Saini, director NCDC. "The time available to react to a calamity is very less and the situation might worsen by the time government agencies reach for help. If common people are aware about survival techniques, they would be able to minimize the damage during critical times," Saini told TOI.
In 1957, NCDC was mandated to train revenue officials and other organizations which had a role in humanitarian assistance. The college offers 29 different courses dealing with emergencies like floods, cyclones, earthquakes, nuclear radiations and more.
Volunteers from Gujarat, Assam, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Bihar are undergoing the six weeks master training after which they will be a certified trainer. They can conduct sessions for communities, organizations, industries and schools and educate people about the same.
The enthusiasm to serve the nation was evident through the sincerity and dedication shown by each one, be it a 20-year-old or 52-year-old volunteer.
According to the volunteers, they have overcome their fears, upgraded skills and experienced fulfilment during the training. Some of them have witnessed fatal accidents and damage to life and property in the past which triggered the desire in them to take up civil defence.
The main objective is to reduce the risk and mortality rate, said Hemant Kumar from Delhi. "The training has given me confidence to secure myself, my family, neighbourhood and workplace. If we adapt the 'each one teach one' method, we can build a nation capable of fighting crisis and thus achieve our goal," he said.
Even if there an fire extinguisher in front of us, hardly anyone knows how to use it, said the volunteers. "Fire evacuation drill should be carried out at least twice a year in schools and other organizations to increase the level of preparedness. Proper safety equipment should be installed and demonstrations given on its use," they said.
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