BHUBANESWAR: The Directorate of Civil Defence on Sunday launched a six-day training programme to equip civil defence volunteers of the state on psychological warfare and drone attacks, for strengthening the mechanism to stop the spread of misinformation and ensure safety of all citizens during war-like situations.
The training workshop is being organised at the Odisha Fire and Disaster Response Academy (OFDRA) here. The volunteers will be provided extensive training by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel.
Director, civil defence, Sudhansu Sarangi said, “Psychological warfare has become an integral part of wars and therefore we need to understand how to protect civilian population from enemy propaganda or rumours that can cause demoralisation or social dissension.”
If needed, the civil defence volunteers will create WhatsApp groups to counter such misinformation. This apart, they will be provided training on ways to respond to strikes by enemy country’s fighter jets or drone attacks.
The volunteers will also be trained on how to administer first-aid, shift injured persons and the basic idea of fire fighting and evacuation. They will be educated on ways to manage shelters and maintain emergency services during hostile attacks and natural disasters. The volunteers will also be trained on conducting emergency drills for civilians.
About 87 civil defence volunteers, 17 assistant fire officers and five civil defence instructors are undergoing training here. Fire Services DIG Umashankar Dash and other senior officers were present.