Volunteers at the Fifth Disaster Management Camp organised by the Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) were tested at several mock emergency situations.
On the fourth day of camp, six volunteer groups experienced several prearranged scenarios, at both single-group and multiple-group levels, with the purpose of evaluating their responsiveness and ability to implement international standards and concepts in emergencies and crises.
One unexpected scenario that trainees dealt with successfully was applied at the dinner time. A fake health emergency, which found later to be cases of bird flu, was announced at the food distribution centre.
One of the volunteer teams controlled the problem by blocking the route to the restaurant to keep “refugees” away and moving the distribution point to another secured area. They also found a better place to receive the refugees and distribute food rations in time.
The team also faced turbulence caused by some individuals, who intentionally crowded inside the alternative location to put more pressure on the squad while doing the provision.
Another realistic scenario was a simulation of the windstorm that swept most of the country a few days ago. All groups were mobilised, and a sheltering group issued an internal warning to check and fix the tents firmly. There were specified an assembly point and a temporary sheltering facility.
During the early days of the camp, the social tent received visits from Al-Thakhira Independent Boys’ School, Al-Maha English Private School and Qatar Academy Al-Khor.
The schoolchildren and officials were given presentations on QRC’s mission, principles and history, as well as the training programmes of the Disaster Management Camp in general.
Volunteers learning how to evacuate a victim at the QRC camp.
