Shimla, March 19 The 14th Battalion of the National Disaster Response Force conducted large-scale mobilization drills across several districts of Himachal Pradesh on Thursday to strengthen rapid response capabilities and ensure resource readiness, officials said.
The exercise was conducted simultaneously at four key locations under the supervision of Commandant Praveen Kumar Tiwary.
A total of 18 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams participated in scenario-based drills focused on Flood Water Rescue (FWR), Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue (CSSR), and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) response.
The drills took place at Bathu Ki Laddi, Pong Dam in Kangra, Government Senior Secondary School Auhar in Bilaspur, Gaushala Ground Joghon in Solan, and the Jhakri helipad in Rampur, Shimla district.
The exercise involved coordinated participation from the civil administration, District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMA), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), fire services, home guards, Aapda Mitra volunteers, as well as police and medical teams.
Operational aspects tested during the drills included communication systems, the establishment of staging areas, equipment functionality, and real-time inter-agency coordination.
Participating agencies also exchanged knowledge and insights on available resources to improve mutual understanding and inter-agency coordination during actual emergencies.