Priorities for Rescue operation

In general there is no such border line or priorities are fixed for rescue operation, according to the
document available in the public domain.
The hazard, vulnerability, capacity and risk assessment is being conducted or under the DDMA as
per rules and guidance from NDMA. These documents are not available in the public domain.
District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) prepare a comprehensive plan including standard
operation procedure during L0 state of emergency. DDM Program shall include Hazard Risk and
Vulnerability Analysis (HRVA), prevention, mitigation, preparedness measures, response plan and
procedure according to DDMP -EXPLANATORY NOTE issued by NDMA.
Completing the Risk Analysis and identifying the elements of the community that are potential at
risk from specific hazard are notified and marked for rescue operation.
DDAM is also responsible to develop response priorities Assign severity ratings based on potential
impact to life, essential facilities and Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources (CIKR) Compiling
risk data into the community risk profile that shows the areas of the community that are at highest
risk from hazard analysis.
NDMA suggested through their DDMP -EXPLANATORY NOTE that while analyzing risks, it is
helpful to develop the response priorities in the following way.
Priority 1: Life safety
Priority 2: Essential facilities
Priority 3: CIKR (Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources)
After 2009 Indian government created the national disaster response force (NDRE) under National Disaster
Management Authority (NDMA) based in Delhi, the NDMA responses for natural and man-made disasters.
Ten battalion forces are working under NDMA

Central Armed Police Forces

2 member from The Border Security Force (BSF),
2 member from Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF),
2 member from The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)
2 member from Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)
Including engineers, technicians, electricians, dog squads and medical/paramedics.

Each battalion has 1150 members. They all are well trained to handle the equipment, understand and work
under disaster occurred situation. Also four battalions trained for radiological, nuclear, biological and
chemical disasters.

Authority for Regional disaster

Emergency Support functions & Standing Operating Procedures

The Emergency Support Functions is a mechanism that consolidates multiple agencies that perform similar
or like functions into a single, cohesive unit to allow for the better management of emergency response
functions. When an event or potential event if first detected, the Disaster teams is activated to a level
appropriate to the magnitude of the threat. The district response effort is then initiated through the District
Emergency Response Team. Under the Emergency Support Function concept, Police department will do
the rescue & search operation.
The following are the duties of police during the disaster.
SHO of concerned area in which disaster will take place will immediately intimate the SP, SO, DC
and control room with detail of site and incident.
Team at Police station level under the command of SHO will immediately rush to the site and rescue
and search operation will be started immediately.
SHO will intimate Superintendent of Police & SO with factual/ correct position of incident.

Responsibilities According To Level of Disaster

To integrate disaster management on the same platform, different activities required for different
magnitudes of disasters have been conceptualized by NDMA India. District Disaster Management
Authority will assess the information and assess the disaster to be of the level L0, L1, L2 or L3
according to their capacity of response with prior knowledge from Early Warning System Four
levels of emergencies have been identified for planning and response as follows:
L0 is the backbone of all planning process, before the onset of a disaster. It encompasses
all functions/activities required to be completed before the disaster strikes. Activities
during this phase will focus on surveillance, mitigation and preparedness. These have to
be monitored and ensured at the level of the nodal disaster management authority. DMPs
have to be asked for and feedback given to all agencies and higher authorities.
L1 is a district level disaster, which can be handled within the capabilities of the district
administration.
L2 is a state level disaster, which can be dealt with by the state, using its own
capabilities and resources.
L3 is a national level disaster, requiring major direct intervention of the Central Govt. in
terms of funding, resources, trained personnel and other required support.

References
1. www.nidm.gov.in .
2. http://www.unisdr.org/2005/mdgs-drr/national-reports/India-report.pdf.
3. www.ndma.gov.in .
4. National Disaster Management Guidelines " Management of Nuclear and Radiological
Emergencies" .

5. Disasters statistics in indian scenario in The last two decade by Jyoti Purohit and C.R.
Suthar.

6. Disaster Management and India: Responding Internally and Simultaneously in Neighboring

Countries by Kailash Gupta, BE(Elec.), MBA(IIM,Ahmedabad).
7. http://www.emdat.be/.