Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 20 March 2025
In adherence to the Chief Secretary’s directive for quarterly mock drills across all departments, the Directorate of Disaster Management, A&N Administration, conducted an Earthquake and Fire Mock Drill at the Labour Commissioner’s Office, Sri Vijaya Puram, on March 19, 2025. The exercise aimed to assess the emergency preparedness and response capabilities of the department and was carried out under the supervision of Mr. K. Srinivasa Rao, Labour Commissioner, A&N Administration.
Prior to the drill, a Table Top Exercise was held at 10 am in collaboration with the District Administration, A&N Police, Health, and Fire Departments. During the session, officials finalized the earthquake and fire scenarios and assigned roles and responsibilities to the Incident Commander and departmental teams.
The mock drill commenced at 11:05 am, simulating fire and disaster alarms followed by the execution of safe evacuation procedures. Emergency communication was established with the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC – 1070), District Emergency Operation Centre (South Andaman – 1077), and Emergency Response Support System (ERSS – 112). The response teams efficiently carried out search and rescue operations, provided first aid, and implemented other emergency measures. The Incident Commander declared an ‘All Clear’ at 11:30 am, signalling the successful conclusion of the exercise.
A debriefing session was conducted post-drill, where the Labour Commissioner commended the active participation of the staff and acknowledged the support extended by the resource departments in ensuring the smooth execution of the exercise. He reiterated the Labour Department’s commitment to strengthening its preparedness and response systems to effectively manage disasters in the future.