HT Correspondent
YINGKIONG, June 25: A two-day district-level training programme on the Incident Response System (IRS) and Civil Defence Security Drills commenced on Wednesday at the Conference Hall of the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Yingkiong, Upper Siang district.
The training, organised under the aegis of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), is part of a broader capacity-building initiative in line with the National Disaster Management Guidelines.
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According to an official statement issued by the District Administration, the programme is designed to enhance the preparedness and coordination capabilities of district-level response teams during natural or man-made emergencies.
The event is being attended by members of the Incident Response System Team (IRST), Upper Siang, and is chaired by Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) and Incident Commander N Nonang.
During the inaugural session, Anie Yangfo, District Disaster Management Officer (DDMO), delivered a detailed orientation to the participants, briefing them on their designated roles and responsibilities within the IRS framework.
Her presentation was aimed at familiarising team members with the operational structure of disaster response and encouraging proactive involvement.
The training included the use of case study scenarios drawn from real-life emergency situations to simulate crisis response and encourage critical thinking.
Participants engaged in group discussions and role-based exercises to understand how different wings of the administration—from police and fire services to health and public works—can collaborate efficiently under the IRS model.
The IRS, developed by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), provides a standardised approach for command, control, and coordination of emergency response, ensuring that efforts during disaster situations are not fragmented but synchronised.
Speaking at the event, ADC N Nonang emphasised the importance of readiness and unified action.
“Disaster can strike at any moment, and our response must be swift, structured, and coordinated. This training is a step forward in equipping our district administration with the tools needed to manage such challenges effectively,” he said.
Officials from various departments including police, fire & emergency services, health, public works, forest, and education are participating in the workshop.
The training also focuses on inter-agency coordination, communication protocols, safety assessment, evacuation procedures, and first response actions.
The programme is scheduled to continue on June 26 with mock drills and team-based simulations that will assess the preparedness of each department in the face of hypothetical emergency situations.
The DDMA noted that similar capacity-building programmes will be conducted in other administrative blocks of the district in the coming months to ensure grassroots-level readiness in disaster risk reduction and management.
The training programme has been welcomed by the local administration as a timely and strategic initiative to strengthen resilience against the increasing threats of floods, landslides, forest fires, and other hazards prevalent in the hilly terrain of Arunachal Pradesh.
