To deal with Emergency Health issues of individual residents
Residential Societies generally accommodate upward of 1000 residents, are situated within a specified boundary and exercise their own day-to-day management. Management is generally limited to aspects of cleanliness, security, electricity, water, waste, fire, club (if available), discipline. etc. Disaster management is generally not considered as a CORE issue unless it occurs as a natural calamity, and no well-defined rules are laid down to deal with it.
A very important aspect of dealing with Emergency Health issues of individual residents is generally either ignored or side stepped. Residents are left to fend for themselves and depend on neighbours or friends creating panic situation.
Situation may become critical for senior citizens and ladies staying alone in flats, especially during daytime when working family members are away.
In the absence of a SOP (Standard Operating Procedure), a panic situation generally develops leading to loss of critical time required for Emergency Treatment/Intervention.
It therefore becomes essential for each Society Management to lay down a SOP by forming a SERT (Society Emergency Response Team) consisting of society manager/security/other staff which is provided with due resources like wheel chairs/ stretchers/ first aid kits/ sufficient cash to arrange a van/ambulance/vehicle to act for urgent evacuation to a nearby hospital with no time loss.
Unambiguous rules and regulations with well-defined duties and responsibilities of each individual in the SERT, including their contact details, should be made public and available in each tower/floor/apartment for quick reference by residents.
This will go a long way in helping senior citizens, ladies and others staying alone in providing immediate relief in case of emergency.
