Disaster management and traffic education in india
Answers
Road accidents are undoubtedly the most frequent and, overall, the cause of the most damage. The reasons for this are the extremely dense road traffic and the relatively great freedom of movement given to drivers. Accidents involving heavy goods vehicles (especially coaches and lorries with trailers) occur all too frequently despite caIls for responsible behaviour, for respect of the loading regulations and the highway code, as well as the obligation for drivers to adapt their speed, which affects stopping distances, to the traffic and weather conditions (rain, ice, fog, etc.). The prevention of road accidents is also extremely important and will be ensured by strict laws, by technical and police controls, ongoing training for drivers (especially those involved in the transport of dangerous substances) and, if need be, by legal and administrative penalties for those responsible.
Intervention and rescue measures
The control of all accidents is, in the first instance, the responsibility of the commander (chief) and personnel of the affected means of transport. It is up to them to limit the resulting damage as much as possible. Passengers must obey the directives of the personnel on board (protective and rescue measures) and behave as they are instructed by the regulations on disaster situations, especially air, rail or maritime disasters.
As far as search, rescue and assistance operations are concerned, the means or system of transport involved and the area (country) where it occurs will determine who is the person in charge at the disaster site.
The principles of intervention are as follows:
- In the case of an air disaster occurring on, or in the immediate vicinity of, an airport (generally within a 5 kilometre radius), control of the incident is the responsibility of the airport authorities since control of the air traffic is the responsibility of the airport in question and the control tower is in charge of warning the security and intervention services. They can, if need be, call upon local fire brigades and civil defence reinforcements. Generally, the special disaster rescue plans (red alert, special plans for the airport) will only be activated with the agreement of the competent political authorities.
If the incident occurs outside the area under control of the airport authorities, the political authorities of the affected area will be in charge of the deployment of local intervention teams (police, fire brigade, civil protection, health services, etc.). Control of the rescue efforts will, if necessary, be taken over by higher authorities (regional, departmental) in collaboration with experts from the aviation services and the judiciary (establishing responsibility
for the disaster, identifying victims, collection and restitution of personal belongings) and representatives of the transport company involved.
- In case of rail accidents, the alarm, reconnaissance and rescue will be controlled by the regional traffic control centre (dispatching centre) of the railways or by the nearest station.
Should the damage warrant it, the local authorities can take control of the initial intervention (first aid) by co-ordinating the action of the means available (police, fire brigade, civil defence, health services) in close collaboration with the specialist services of the company involved. Subsequently, the rescue plan or red alert for rail disasters can be activated by higher political authorities. Protection, research, rescue and assistance measures will depend upon the intervention tactics dictated by the accident and the means available.
- As regards road accidents, it is important to make the distinction between those occurring on motorways and those taking place on other roads, bearing in mind the special regulations that may govern certain communications routes or sensitive areas.
Operational control of interventions on roads is initially ensured by the traffic or rescue control centre of the motorway, which is alerted by witnesses (using the motorway telephone network) or by a police patrol. The rescue means will be supplied by the rescue centre ( traffic control) and by the neighbouring emergency services. If need be, specialists in dealing with dangerous substances (chemical or radioactive products, hydrocarbons, etc.) and the health services (helicopters, ambulances, specially trained medical personnel) can also be called upon to help. In general, a special plan drawn up as a precaution will be activated. Major accidents occurring on roads other than motorways come under the control of the political authorities of the area in which they occur, who ensure the initial intervention using the means at their disposal. In case of particularly bad accidents, namely fires or leakage of chemical substances or pollutants, a higher management level will be called upon to intervene