This Search & Rescue training module has been developed by the Disaster Management Resource Centre (DMRC) unit of Sahbhagi Shikshan Kendra (SSK) in cooperation with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) with financial support from Malteser International and the European Commission Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) within the scope of a disaster preparedness project titled “Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Management into local Development Processes for Uttar Pradesh”.

An integral part of this project is the formation of five community based task forces for Early Warning, Search & Rescue, First Aid, Water, Sanitation & Hygiene and Social Inclusion. The search and rescue training module follows the “Training of Trainers” approach adopted by SSK - the task force members will be trained by relevant resource persons and in turn train their fellow community members. It targets both local communities of rural India and disaster management professionals and organizations.

This document comprises two parts. The first part serves as didactical manual for teachers: Guidance for training preparation, implementation and evaluation is provided, recommendations for session structuring and facilitation of interactive learning are given and a model training design is outlined.

The second part includes the actual training contents & references for seven search & rescue training sessions. All training contents are described in clear and simple Hindi so that even less literate people can conduct the training. Furthermore several illustrations have been included. Main topics covered include an introduction to search & rescue, search & rescue during and after a disaster, roles and responsibilities of the search & rescue task force etc.