CHENNAI: The 12 children at the Corporation Day-Care centre in Pattinapakkam watched the frenzied activity outside with peals of laughter and apparent excitement. ‘Whoosh’ gestured little Arunesh, to indicate the cloud of smoke and loud bang that had set off this activity in the large ground outside; for the scores of paramedics, fire and rescue officers and cops, CEMEX 2011 was not child’s play. “We simulated a minor blast and played out various rescue scenarios in real time, to see how ready the people and authorities in Chennai really are,” said Dr Nishanth Hiremath, Organising Secretary of Chennai Emergency Management Exercise (CEMEX) 2011.So in response to the ‘blast’ orchestrated on a swelteringly hot Monday afternoon, a team in hazmat suits swept the scene initially after which policemen and paramedics grouped people into a safe ‘trial area,’ before dividing them on the basis of their injuries. “The 150-odd patients were checked before their ‘injuries’ were tagged by the medics and they were placed on coloured mats (red, yellow, green and black) depending on whether they were dead or just needed first aid,” said Dr Heidi P Cordi, Associate Director of Emergency Medical Services at the NewYork-Presbytarian Hospital.The ‘injured’ patients, over 100 of them, were remarkably convincing until it was discovered that they were all junior artistes attached to the Film Enployees Federation here, Sasi Babu, a fight double who had make up of blood smears and wounds, all over his body said quite happily, “This is like a movie with no double takes or cut scenes. Maybe when people see this, they will know how to act during a disaster.” Coincidentally, the entire drill was professionally videographed and this led to some remarkable performances from the ‘patients.’The ambulances, especially from EMRI 108, were efficient as they plied the ailing to nine hospitals in the city for mock trauma care. But the team that stole the day, was the TN Fire and Rescue Services, as they rescued men trapped from under rubble, put out a mock fire and rescued two men from a 40 feet high building by carrying them down on a ladder, simultaneously.Considering the speed at which all the individual departments worked, it was surprising to note that the co-ordination between the teams was a slight dampener, said one of the evaluators observing the drill. “We have conducted the previous three drills in the country (Ahmedabad and Mumbai), just before the attacks, and I have to say, the level of response from the government services has been quite efficient,” said Heidi.Once the smoke cleared, there was only one soul: a two-and-a-half year old Labrador Retriever Anand, that was brought in by the bomb squad as they mock swept the place along with a team from the National Disaster Relief Force. At least, one thing is certain, next time there’s a disaster, at least there might be a sense of practised ease if such drills are conducted.
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