Day 1, 8th Khoryug Conference
22 March, 2017
Kagyu Monlam Pavilion, Bodhgaya
In 2015, His Holiness the 17th Karmapa announced during the 6th Khoryug Conference that all Khoryug monasteries and nunneries should receive disaster management training. Khoryug Nepal took up this initiative by partnering with the White Mountain Training Institute, whose head trainer Dr. Behrouz Moghaddassi introduced them to the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training program. Over the course of 2016, Khoryug Nepal organized four five-day trainings with Dr. Behrouz for a total of 125 monks and nuns.
During the afternoon, Khoryug Nepal monks and nuns showcased their CERT skills with a disaster response demonstration. 30 participants from Nepal led the audience through a series of emergency and disaster scenarios.
All of the monastics performed their duties efficiently and intently. While the dramatic play-acting periodically generated comic relief and laughter from the audience, the CERT monastics remained steadfast and resolved to provide the best care to all “victims.” As survivors of the 2015 Nepal earthquake, their professionalism highlighted the seriousness with which they have embraced this initiative. There was no doubt by the end of the demonstration that the skills and knowledge that these CERT monastics have gained through their training will undoubtedly prove vital and life-saving in the event of a disaster.
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| Two nuns demonstrate what to do upon discovering an unconscious victim and how to perform CPR. CPR is performed when a victim is found unconscious, not breathing and without pulse. |
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| When performing CPR, the responder pumps the heart of the victim by compressing the chest 30 times, followed by breathing into the victim’s mouth twice. The process repeats until the victim is resuscitated or professional medical help arrives. |
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| Two CERT monastics display the marking system used by rescue teams to document all of the essential information from a site. This marking system is recognized internationally by professional rescuers and provides crucial information like when the building or site was searched, how many victims were found and what hazards exist inside. |
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| The group also simulated an earthquake scenario in which a building had partially collapsed with many victims inside. Following CERT procedure, the Team Leader, Lama Jamyung, directed the triage, search and rescue and medical teams to search the building, sort the victims according to the severity of their injury, apply first aid and extract them from the building. Other teams stayed back to keep documentation and provide further medical care to rescued victims. |