Is 15th August just another holiday where we enjoy ? Or is it a day where the nationalist feeling should reach a feverish pitch and we need to keep singing national songs all day only to forget those feelings the very next day? Plenty of debates have gone on as to what is the right way to celebrate the Independence Day. For volunteers at Sankalp, 15th August is a day where the thirst to work for the country makes them think collectively together and to make a pledge together saying “Vijayi Vishwa Tiranga Pyara, Jhanda Uncha Rahe Hamara!”
15th August 2012, the Sankalp volunteers got together to celebrate India’s 65th Independence Day. With the unfurling of the Tiranga and the singing of the National Anthem the volunteers kicked started the day long program. The day was dedicated to understanding the intricacies of the disaster response we had recently undertaken after the devastating floods at Assam.
With 12 volunteers on board, we started delving into each of the 115 feedback items that the organization had captured. A very robust issue tracking system had ensured that each place where the volunteers thought that discussions are required was marked even as the process of response was on. The way Sankalp has brought about improvement in response and deterministic behavior in emergency management is by carefully analyzing every small detail of how things should be done in the face of a disaster. The Disaster Review enables continuous improvement and enhancement of strategy.
Sankalp has a set of written documents (framed as protocols) covering each arena of disaster including:
- Field Operations
- Control Centre
- Finance
- Resources
- Communications
- Code Red
These documents lay down all the guidelines on what and how to act in the event of a disaster. Investing in making these elaborate documents turned out to a very useful thing during the Assam Flood Relief. During the disaster review the volunteers suggested suitable inclusions and amendment to these protocols.
Another startling fact that came out of the review was that though the best person within Sankalp for several tasks was somehow not available in the disaster response phase, other volunteers seamlessly took their place. However, here were instances when the organization found tasks happening a little short of perfection. The reasons were uncovered and suitable remedies put in place.
As the sun set, Sankalp had a newer, better and more robust plan of action with the volunteers trained and all charged up to put in their best foot forward and give the best possible response for any future disaster.