Social Emergency Response Volunteer (SERV) Programme

Click here for List of SERV Master Trainers

  1. SERV Scale up 2019
  2. Curriculum Update
  3. First Medical Responders Course Modules
  4. Some Glimpses of work done by our Red Cross Volunteers
  5. Household water treatment manual
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    Click here for Revised Guideline for conducting First Aid and Home Nursing Training during COVID-19 Pandemic   Cyclone Fani - Odisha May 2019

The Social and Emergency Response Volunteer (SERV) Programme is designed to build community resilience through training of the target group by Master trainers, Instructors and SERV volunteer on a pan India basis. It is envisaged that, on an average, 1000 trained SERV volunteers and 2 trained SERV instructors will be available in each district of the country and at least one Master trainer will be available in each state Red Cross branch. These SERV volunteers will in turn impart health and disaster related messages apart from leading social campaigns in the community. They will be at the fore front as first community responders in case of any disaster etc. The programme will be jointly funded by National headquarters (NHQ) and the concerned State branch in the ratio of 80:20 of the fund for each activity.

Concept of SERV:

    The concept of SERV is premised upon the principles of Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction (CBDRR). It recognizes that:

1.    Communities understands their problems and opportunities than anyone else,
2.    Community is more interested to understand their problems than anyone else,
3.    Community is the key stakeholder for development of the country, hence it has to participate for their own development,
4.    Local communities are capable of initiating and sustaining their own community development.

To contribute to this aim, SERV volunteers will:

1.    Provide immediate relief and response to the affected communities before additional support from the government and other agencies arrives,
2.    Reduce vulnerabilities of the communities by training the communities on first-aid, hygiene promotion, etc.,
3.    Conduct vulnerability and capacity assessment of their own communities,
4.    Support any other identified social issues that contribute to the development of the communities.

    It is envisaged that the SERVs will be trained as per prescribed modules pertaining to deliver the following:

  • Act as First Responders in times of emergencies, (participate in providing effective humanitarian services to affected population to prevent and alleviate their sufferings on behalf of the IRCS)
  • Sensitize the community to make them more resilient to disasters to which the community is vulnerable.
  • Facilitate linkages between the community and the Government programmes.

SERV Scale up 2019

It is proposed to build communities’ resilience through upscaling of SERV on pan India basis through following approach:

  1. Every State should have at least 01 Master Trainer - Training of candidates nominated by state branches will be conducted by the National HQ. The training maybe held in any location selected by the NHQ. At least one Master trainer should be present in each state. Age - Between 20-50 years, Minimum Qualification - Graduate. 6 days training. Medical Doctors/ nurses/ Lay Lecturers are to be trained as SERV Master Trainers. To become Master trainer they should score above 74% marks in 6 days training. Click here for List of SERV Master Trainers
     
  2. Each District to have atleast 2 SERV instructors. Instructor training of upto 10 Districts with 2 trainees from each District (upto 20 candidates). 5 days training.  On the last day of the training all trainee instructors will be assessed by Master Trainers and only such instructors who are assessed by External Master Trainers sent by NHQ will be eligible to train volunteers. Age- Between 20-50 years, Minimum qualification- 12th pass.   To become Instructor candidate should score above 60% marks in 5 days training.
     
  3. Instructors will train 1000 volunteers in batches of 30 volunteers per batch (total 33 batches) will be trained per district. Focus on community as well as Youth Red Cross volunteers through enrolment in colleges as SERV. The college premises may be used as venue for YRCs. The training can be divided into first half/second half covering the curriculum as per the  convenience and attendance of students in college. In case, instructors are training the volunteers, one Master trainer of the state/Neighbouring state will be present on the last day of the training of volunteers to ensure only those volunteers are certified/cleared who have acquired knowledge and skill to provide first aid to the needy. 3 days training. Age-Between 18-40 years, Minimum qualification- 10th pass.

  4. Trainers
    •    Medical Doctors/ nurses/ Lay Lecturers are to be trained as SERV Master Trainers. The Masters Trainers who are qualified/certified by the IRCS NHQ will be eligible to undertake the training under this programme. Click here for List of SERV Master Trainers
    •    Master Trainers will certify only those volunteers who acquire skills and knowledge to provide first aid.
    •    Master trainers can also train instructors. In such a case, one or two Master Trainers from the other states will be deputed by the NHQ on the last day of the training. Only such instructors who are assessed by External Master Trainers sent by NHQ will be eligible to train volunteers.
    •    In case, instructors are training the volunteers, one Master Trainer of the state will be present on the last day of the training of volunteers to ensure only those volunteers are certified/cleared who acquire knowledge and skill to provide first aid to the needy.

Curriculum Update

  1. Master Trainers ToT with 04 days of First Aid Training and 02 days of Disaster concepts [Revised]
  2. Instructors with 03 days of First Aid training and 02 days of DM Concepts [Revised]
  3. Volunteers' training with 02 days of First Aid and 01 Day of DM Concepts
    1. Standard First Aid Training Programme - 16 Hours – Course Content-Version April 2019
    2. SERV–3 days Volunteers' training Curriculum
  4. Indian First Aid Manual - 2016 (7th edition)

 

First Medical Responders Course Modules

 

Module one    :    Introductory Module
1.    Introduction to the Concept of First Medical Responders
2.    Objective of the training program
3.    Pre and Post test questionnaire; Why and How?
4.    RCRC movement and relevance of FMR in the movement


Module two    :    Emergency First Aid
1.    Principles and Practices of First Aid
2.    Assessment in First Aid
3.    Structure and Function of body
4.    Basic life support (resuscitation and CPR)
5.    First aid in emergencies
6.    First aid kit and use of materials
7.    Triage
8.    Safe handling and transportation of patients

Module three     :    Public Health in Emergencies
1.    Introduction to Public Health in Emergencies
2.    Communicable diseases in emergencies/epidemic control
a.    Vector borne diseases
b.    Water borne diseases
c.    Air borne diseases
d.    STI including HIV and other sexual and reproductive health issues
3.    Emergency health assessment – What it is, data collection
4.    Food security and nutrition in emergencies
5.    Health in recovery programming

Module four    :    Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion
1.    Emergency Water Supply
a.    Introduction to Water Supply
b.    Water Supply Components
c.    WATSAN emergency response Tool
2.    Household Water Treatment
a.    Why Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage?
b.    Methods of Water Treatment
c.    Safe Storage
d.    Training
e.    Follow up Training
3.    Emergency Sanitation
a.    Excreta Disposal
b.    Solid Waste Management
c.    Waste water management (drainage)
d.    Vector Control
4.    Hygiene promotion in emergency
a.    Why do we need hygiene promotion?
b.    Selection and distribution of Hygiene kits
c.    How do we do hygiene promotion in emergency?
d.    Hygiene promotion box

Module five     :    Psychosocial support

1.    Introduction to Psychosocial support in RCRC Movement
a.    Introduction to Psychosocial support
b.    What is psychosocial support (the definition)?
c.    What is psychosocial well being?
d.    Contextualization of services
e.    Why are psychosocial services needed?
2.    Basics of providing psychosocial support services
a.    Understand the psychological needs people may have during an emergency
b.    Identification of the affected population in need of psychosocial support services
c.    Providing services as per the needs of the people (Assessment)
3.    Providing psychosocial support by the FMR during the immediate phase
4.    Community based psychosocial support
5.    Psychological First Aid and Supportive Communication
6.    Essential things to keep in mind while providing Psychosocial support in a community
a.    Who can provide psychosocial support services
b.    Helping the helper (essentials for the FMR providing psychosocial support services)
7.    Dos and don’t for volunteers providing psychosocial support services  


Module six    :    Restoring Family Links
1.    Restoring Family Links
a.    Introduction to terms like Restoring Family Links, Tracing and Family News Services
b.    What is RFL?
c.    RFL project in India
d.    What is the need of RFL in disasters?
2.    RFL experience from the field
a.    Example of Leh cloud burst/Sikkim earth quake
b.    Lessons learned from the Field
3.    Planning RFL activity
a.    Preparation for RFL
b.    Discussion on plan


Module seven    :    Management of Dead bodies
1.    Introduction and Conceptual understanding
2.    What is the need for dead bodies’ management?
3.    What formats are to be completed as part of dead bodies’ management?
4.    Experience sharing from the field


Module eight    :    Crisis Management
1.    The basics of Crisis Management
a.    The concept of crisis
b.    The concept of Hazard
c.    The concept of Vulnerability
d.    The concept of Disaster
e.    The concept of Risk
f.    The concept of Capacity
g.    The concept of Mitigating Impact
h.    Relation between different concept in a disaster situation
2.    Different Crisis situation and how to respond to different Crisis situations
a.    Earthquake
b.    Floods
c.    Flash-floods
d.    Land Slide
e.    Tsunami
f.    Fire Accidents
g.    Conflict
h.    Mass Casualty
i.    Disease Outbreak
3.    Assessment in emergencies
a.    Understanding Needs Assessment
b.    Types of Needs Assessment and Assessment Process
c.    Participatory Needs Assessment Tools
4.    Roles, Responsibilities and Management of CFMR
5.    Coordination mechanisms

Module nine    :    Planning, Monitoring and Reporting & Volunteer Management
1.    Basics of planning
2.    Contingency Planning
3.    Basics of Monitoring
4.    Monitoring by FMR
5.    What to monitor in a crisis situation
6.    Why there is a need for monitoring and usage of data?
7.    What is reporting and methods of reporting?
8.    The basics of Volunteer Management in an Emergency