CRED: A Voluntary Group to Help Emergencies

KOCHI:
Community Response to Emergency & Disaster (CRED), a community based participatory model in managing emergencies including medical emergencies, accidents and disasters, conceptualized and formulated by Indian Medical Association Kochi branch and MAGICS, a nongovernmental organization, has been inaugurated by P. Rangadhasa Prabhu, president of Ernakulum District Resident Association Apex Council (EDRAAC). The project CRED is being implemented with the support of Cochin City Corporation, public health wing of VPS Lakeshore hospital, of District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) and EDRAAC.
With technical support of DDMA, CRED program educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. CRED offers training to volunteers based on residents associations and flat/apartments to manage and provide first aid when required. A device that could call volunteers in the residential location has been designed to respond to emergency calls from registered residents in a locality. First responders of all the residents associations and flats will be networked for a concerted action when there is a need. Designated assembly points within the city would help the disaster management authority to get trained volunteers assembled in a location if required.
Dr. Varghese Cheriyan, president of IMA Kochi, presided over the inaugural ceremony in which Saumini Jain, Mayor of Kochi, was the Guest of Honour. For more information in creating such a group of volunteers- 9074241011