The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is conducting a basic training programme to enhance the preparedness of Airport Emergency Handlers to respond to CBRN emergencies, encompassing threats emanating from the use of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear material at the airports.
The training programme is being conducted in collaboration with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences (INMAS).
“It is one major step towards enhancing CBRN safety at our airports” said Shri R. K. Jain, Member, NDMA while highlighting the fact that handling CBRN emergencies need specialised skills and efforts.
The training programme, which started today at the Kamaraj Airport in Chennai, was inaugurated by Dr. S. Christopher, Secretary, Department of Defence Research & Development and Chairman, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The programme consists of lectures as well as field training, including live demonstrations of detection and decontamination, including use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Apart from equipping the airport emergency handlers to handle CBRN emergencies, the training programme will also enable them to provide medical first aid and initial psycho-social support. A total of 200 personnel will be trained on various aspects of CBRN emergencies during the week-long training.
“Even a small CBRN related event can cause panic among people at the airports. It is, therefore, important that airport emergency handlers are able to respond appropriately till the arrival of highly trained and better equipped response teams,” said Dr. D.N. Sharma, Member, NDMA. This is the first in a series of such training programmes that have been planned for various airports across the country.