CPR training for 400 Indian Army personnel in Bengaluru on March 13

Over 400 Indian Army personnel and their family members will be given Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training at the Banaswadi Military Garrison in Bengaluru on March 13.

Army personnel from the 4/8 Gorkha Rifles unit and their family members will be given a hands-on CPR training session, which will be conducted by the International Critical Air Transfer Team (ICATT) Foundation in association with Society for Emergency Medicine in India (SEMI).

Dr. Shalini Nalwad, founder and director, ICATT Foundation, said that through structured demonstrations and guided practice sessions, participants will learn how to perform CPR effectively, which is an intervention that can sustain life in the critical moments before professional medical help arrives.

She added that participants will receive individual training using CPR manikins, ensuring they gain practical, real-time experience in delivering chest compressions, and responding to emergency situations.

“Although military personnel would be trained in CPR during their initial days of training, what we plan to do during this session, which will last about one hour, is to give them hands-on instructions. It will focus on how to deal with stroke, injury etc,” Dr. Nalwad told The Hindu.

“Most CPR training sessions are done through videos, but we will focus on each participant. Invigilators will check if the participants are doing it right, and correct them if there is any mistake,” she added.

The ICATT Foundation said that, in times of conflict, battlefield injuries may occur in remote or high-risk zones where evacuation and medical assistance could take time.

“In such circumstances, knowledge of CPR and basic life-support techniques can play a decisive role in stabilising injured personnel. Training soldiers and their families in these essential skills not only strengthens the preparedness of military units, but also ensures that individuals can respond confidently during emergency that may arise within military communities, or during disaster situations,” according to the ICATT Foundation.

The foundation has, so far, trained more than 55,000 individuals in life-saving CPR techniques.

On October 4, 2021, it trained more than 28,762 students from schools and colleges across Chitradurga district in a single day. It also organised one of the largest CPR training sessions for Bengaluru Police in which 2,240 personnel were trained on January 14, 2024, at the Kanteerava Indoor Stadium.