Fighting fire | Making A Difference

How safe is Kathmandu? What would happen if a fire broke out in some corner of the city or a major earthquake shook us? The government's emergency resources, be it fire brigades, first aid or rescue crew, might not be able to reach the crisis area in time or are poorly equipped even if they do.

The National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET), an NGO working on earthquake issues, is one of the few organisations that have foreseen this problem. And they've also devised a solution by training an army of young people at the ward level by teaching them rescue skills and first aid. NSET, Rotary Club Thamel and Chhetrapati Nisulka Chikitsalaya formed Ward 17 Disaster Management Committee in 2003. Bibhuti Man Singh of Rotary Club Thamel, who is on the committee, says "An earthquake will hit Kathmandu and in that case, it'll take the government at least a week to reach various wards. Victims have a better chance of survival if rescued within the first three days. Our mission is self-reliance in emergencies."

Young people from Chhetrapati, ward 17, who spent Saturday mornings playing carom or gossiping were gathered and trained in disaster management. The training focused on three key issues: first aid, rescue and relief.

The initial group of 50 volunteers has now grown to 130 with an almost equal participation of both boys and girls. The volunteers meet every Saturday from 8-11AM. Technical assistance is given by NSET, Red Cross and the British government have pitched in with required equipments. Volunteer commander Laxman Mali says, "Right now, the focus is on first aid and earthquake awareness. NSET and the Rotary Club follow up regularly on the committee's activities so the team must remain active and alert. Once you acquire the skills, you can use it for other things. For instance, 60 of our volunteers provided first aid service to more than 5,000 people in 13 plus hours in the Dipankha Yatra."

The volunteers have already helped rescue efforts. In September 2004, when a fire broke out in a house in Dhobichaur, some of them followed the fire brigade to help. Mali says, "Entering the house was risky and the fire-fighters were hesitant but our volunteer Sanga Ratna Selalik went in and helped put out the fire. We saved around Rs 25,00,000 worth of property. Had the fire not been controlled, the entire chowk would have been damaged."

In January 2005, another fire broke out in Dhalko and the volunteers rushed, reaching there before the fire brigade. By the time the brigade showed up, Mali says they had it under control. NSET's Mahesh Nakarmi adds, "If we train local people, we don't have to wait for rescuers, they'll know what to do. Prevention is better than cure."

The success of the Ward 17 team has inspired youth in other wards. Now, Ward 17 volunteers in groups of six are training people in neighbouring wards. Whenever emergencies arise, the neighbourhood people call on the volunteers. Says Nakarmi: "This mission has also inspired a sense of belonging among the young people here." The comittee is working on awareness programmes in schools to educate children on what to do if emergencies arise.