A district disaster plan in Gujarat is being revised after a chemical leak at an industrial estate. Under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, who chairs the District Disaster Management Authority?

The District Collector (District Magistrate)

The Chief Minister of the state

The Chief Medical Officer of the district

The district Superintendent of Police

Disaster management, triage and mass casualties

29 NEET-PG practice questions on Disaster management, triage and mass casualties, part of Community Medicine. The first 25 are below; the first 5 with answers and explanations (tap Show answer after you have chosen), the rest in Learn with a free account.

Question 1 · Medium
A state disaster management officer explains India's disaster management structure at a training for medical officers. She makes four statements: 1. The NDMA was set up under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. 2. The NDMA is chaired by the Prime Minister. 3. A State Disaster Management Authority is chaired by the Chief Minister. 4. The National Disaster Response Force is a specialist force for disaster response. Which statements are correct?
1. A1, 2 and 3 only
2. B1, 2, 3 and 4
3. C1, 2 and 4 only
4. D2, 3 and 4 only
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Answer: B · 1, 2, 3 and 4
All four are correct. The Disaster Management Act, 2005 created the National Disaster Management Authority, chaired by the Prime Minister, to lay down policies, plans and guidelines. State Authorities are chaired by the Chief Ministers and District Authorities by the District Collectors. The National Disaster Response Force, constituted under the same Act, is a specialist force trained for search, rescue and response, including chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear emergencies.
- A: Leaves out the NDRF, a specialist response force under the Act.
- C: Leaves out the Chief Minister as chair of the SDMA.
- D: Leaves out the 2005 Act under which the NDMA was set up.
Question 2 · Medium
After floods in Assam, the state health department plans to retrofit district hospitals in the flood zone by raising generators, oxygen plants and operation theatres above the highest recorded flood level. In which phase of the disaster cycle does this work fall?
1. APreparedness
2. BRehabilitation
3. CMitigation
4. DResponse
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Answer: C · Mitigation
The disaster cycle runs through impact, response, recovery (rehabilitation and reconstruction), mitigation and preparedness. Mitigation is any action that reduces the effect of a future disaster on people and property, such as structural changes like retrofitting buildings, embankments and land-use rules. Preparedness is about being ready to respond, through plans, drills, stockpiles, trained teams and early warning. Raising critical hospital services above flood level is mitigation because it reduces the damage itself.
- A: Preparedness covers plans, drills and stockpiles, not structural changes.
- B: Rehabilitation restores services after a disaster has struck.
- D: Response is the action during and just after the disaster.
Question 3 · Hard
A relief camp in Bihar shelters 1,200 flood-displaced people. The camp medical officer uses the Sphere minimum standards: 15 L of water per person per day for drinking, cooking and hygiene, and no more than 20 people per toilet. What are the minimum daily water supply and the minimum number of toilets for the camp?
1. A36,000 L a day and 120 toilets
2. B1,800 L a day and 60 toilets
3. C18,000 L a day and 24 toilets
4. D18,000 L a day and 60 toilets
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Answer: D · 18,000 L a day and 60 toilets
Water: 1,200 people x 15 L = 18,000 L a day. Toilets: 1,200 / 20 = 60 toilets at the minimum. The other options come from typical slips: dividing by 50 instead of 20 for toilets, dropping a zero, or doubling both values. Safe water and sanitation in camps are the main defence against outbreaks of diarrhoea, cholera and hepatitis A and E after floods, so the water is chlorinated and its residual chlorine is checked regularly.
- A: Doubling both figures is not the minimum standard.
- B: 1,800 L drops a zero; the toilet count is right.
- C: 24 toilets assumes 50 people per toilet instead of 20.
Question 4 · Medium
After a train derailment in Odisha, a doctor doing START triage assesses a man who cannot walk because of a fractured femur. He is breathing at 22/min, his radial pulse is present, capillary refill is under 2 seconds and he follows commands. Which triage category is correct?
1. ABlack (expectant)
2. BGreen (minor)
3. CRed (immediate)
4. DYellow (delayed)
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Answer: D · Yellow (delayed)
In START, a casualty who cannot walk but breathes at 30/min or less, has a radial pulse or capillary refill within 2 seconds, and obeys simple commands is tagged yellow (delayed). A femoral fracture is serious, but at this moment he is stable and can wait for treatment after the red group. He is reassessed regularly, because bleeding into the thigh can change his category. Green is only for those who can walk.
- A: He is breathing and stable, so black does not apply.
- B: He cannot walk, so he cannot be green.
- C: None of the red criteria (breathing, perfusion, mental status) is present.
Question 5 · Medium
A district disaster plan in Gujarat is being revised after a chemical leak at an industrial estate. Under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, who chairs the District Disaster Management Authority?
1. AThe Chief Minister of the state
2. BThe District Collector (District Magistrate)
3. CThe Chief Medical Officer of the district
4. DThe district Superintendent of Police
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Answer: B · The District Collector (District Magistrate)
The Disaster Management Act, 2005 set up a three-tier structure: the National Disaster Management Authority chaired by the Prime Minister, State Authorities chaired by the Chief Ministers, and District Authorities chaired by the District Collector, Deputy Commissioner or District Magistrate. An elected representative of the local authority is the co-chairperson of the DDMA. The district authority prepares the district plan and coordinates the response, including health services. The Chief Medical Officer and the Superintendent of Police are members.
- A: The Chief Minister chairs the State Authority.
- C: The CMO is a member of the DDMA, not its chairperson.
- D: The SP is a member of the DDMA, not its chairperson.
Question 6 · Easy
After an earthquake in Uttarakhand, the triage officer at a field casualty post puts a black tag on a casualty. What does a black tag mean in the four-colour triage system?
1. AWalking wounded
2. BDead or moribund
3. CNeeds immediate surgery
4. DCan wait several hours
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 7 · Medium
After a cyclone in coastal Andhra Pradesh, 40 bodies are recovered in a village. The sarpanch, fearing an epidemic, asks the PHC medical officer to have all the bodies cremated together at once without identification. What is the most appropriate advice?
1. AGive all villagers mass typhoid vaccination
2. BCremate the bodies at once to prevent cholera
3. CSpray all the bodies with lime and bleach at once
4. DDead bodies of disaster victims rarely cause epidemics
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Question 8 · Medium
At a building collapse in Mumbai, a doctor doing START triage reaches a woman who is not breathing. He repositions her airway with a head tilt, but she still does not breathe. Which triage category should she be given?
1. AYellow (delayed)
2. BGreen (minor)
3. CRed (immediate)
4. DBlack (dead or expectant)
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Question 9 · Easy
At a state workshop on disaster risk reduction, the trainer refers to the global agreement adopted in 2015 that guides India's National Disaster Management Plan up to 2030. What is this framework called?
1. AParis Agreement on Climate Change
2. BSendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction
3. CYokohama Strategy for a Safer World
4. DHyogo Framework for Action
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Question 10 · Medium
At a factory fire in Ludhiana, a doctor doing START triage finds a man who cannot walk. He is breathing on his own at 36 breaths/min, his radial pulse is present and he obeys commands. Which triage category should he be given?
1. AGreen tag, minor injuries
2. BRed tag, immediate priority
3. CBlack tag, dead or expectant
4. DYellow tag, delayed priority
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Question 11 · Hard
At a road crash outside Jaipur, a doctor doing START triage must decide which of four casualties who cannot walk gets the first ambulance. A: breathing 24/min, radial pulse present, obeys commands. B: breathing 20/min, no radial pulse, capillary refill 4 seconds, obeys commands. C: not breathing even after the airway is opened. D: breathing 26/min, radial pulse present, obeys commands, open fracture of the leg. Who is red?
1. ACasualty B
2. BCasualty D
3. CCasualty C
4. DCasualty A
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 12 · Easy
A bus overturns on a highway near Nashik, and the first doctor at the scene asks everyone who can walk to move to a marked area by the roadside. Twelve people walk across with cuts and bruises. Under the four-colour triage system, which tag do they get?
1. AGreen
2. BYellow
3. CRed
4. DBlack
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Question 13 · Medium
After heavy floods in Kerala, rescue workers and volunteers have waded through flood water for several days. Cases of fever with myalgia, conjunctival suffusion and jaundice begin to appear in the district. Which chemoprophylaxis should the district health officer advise for these workers during the period of exposure?
1. AWeekly oral doxycycline
2. BDaily oral ciprofloxacin
3. CSingle-dose azithromycin
4. DWeekly oral chloroquine
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Question 14 · Hard
At a school bus crash in Himachal Pradesh, a doctor uses JumpSTART triage for a 6-year-old who cannot walk and is not breathing. Opening the airway does not restore breathing, but a peripheral pulse is present. He gives 5 rescue breaths and the child starts breathing at 18/min. Which category should the child be given?
1. AYellow: can wait for care
2. BBlack: dead or expectant
3. CRed: treat and move first
4. DGreen: walking wounded
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 15 · Medium
During a mass casualty after a stampede at a fair in Uttar Pradesh, a district hospital with two operating theatres receives 35 casualties within an hour. A man with 95% full-thickness burns and stridor arrives along with several patients with treatable chest and abdominal injuries. Which principle guides the triage decisions?
1. AMost severely injured are treated first
2. BFirst come, first served
3. CGreatest good for the greatest number
4. DChildren are always treated first
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Question 16 · Medium
Two hours after a building collapse in Mumbai, a woman tagged yellow for a closed femur fracture is still waiting at the casualty clearing station; she has not yet had any fluids. Her pulse is now 128/min, BP 84/56 mmHg, and she is cold, clammy and restless. What should be done?
1. ATag her black, as she is deteriorating
2. BKeep her yellow, as the first tag stands
3. CRe-tag her red and move her for immediate care
4. DGive oral fluids and re-check in 2 hours
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Question 17 · Hard
During a festival evening in a crowded market, a tanker leaks a liquid pesticide after a collision. Within 40 minutes, about 20 people arrive at the district hospital by autorickshaw and private car, with pinpoint pupils, drooling, sweating and wheeze; their clothes smell strongly of the chemical. Two casualty nurses who helped lift the first patient now have a runny nose and blurred vision. The hospital mass casualty plan is activated, and the most breathless patients are receiving airway support. What should be done for the victims before they enter the emergency department?
1. ASend serum cholinesterase before further care
2. BRemove their clothing and decontaminate them outside
3. CGive atropine at triage, then admit them directly
4. DAdmit them to the ICU with standard precautions
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Question 18 · Medium
When a bus carrying pilgrims overturns on a ghat road, the district hospital activates its disaster plan. NDMA guidelines want the response run through one standard structure: a single commander, with operations, planning and logistics sections, a fixed span of control, and every responder reporting to one person. What is this structure called?
1. AEmergency Operations Centre
2. BRapid Response Team
3. CIncident Response System
4. DQuick Reaction Medical Team
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Question 19 · Medium
After a night of cloudburst rain, a landslide buries part of a hamlet in Wayanad. The State Disaster Management Authority asks for a specialised central force whose battalions are trained in collapsed-structure search and rescue, flood rescue and response to chemical or radiological releases, and which works under the general superintendence of the NDMA. Which force is this?
1. ACivil Defence volunteers
2. BNational Disaster Response Force
3. CCentral Industrial Security Force
4. DHome Guards
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Question 20 · Medium
At 10 p.m., the casualty medical officer of a 200-bed district hospital is told that about 60 injured from a firecracker factory blast will arrive within the hour; only 12 beds are free. The hospital disaster plan is activated and the incident commander takes charge. Which action best creates surge capacity for the incoming patients?
1. AKeep all wards unchanged until the patients arrive
2. BAdmit the casualties strictly in their order of arrival
3. CRefer every incoming casualty straight on to the nearest medical college
4. DDischarge or shift stable inpatients and postpone elective surgery
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Question 21 · Easy
The apex body for disaster management in India lays down national policies, plans and guidelines under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and approves the National Plan. A medical officer drafting the district hospital's disaster plan wants to describe this national set-up correctly. Who is the ex officio chairperson of this National Disaster Management Authority?
1. AThe Union Home Minister
2. BThe President of India
3. CThe Cabinet Secretary
4. DThe Prime Minister
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Question 22 · Hard
At a mass casualty site after a stampede at a temple festival, a single triage officer has more than 60 casualties. A young man cannot walk. He is breathing at 24/min, his radial pulse cannot be felt and capillary refill is 4 seconds, and he follows commands. Bright red blood is spurting from a deep wound on his thigh. Two other unassessed casualties lie nearby. No other responders have reached the site yet, and the fire brigade is 20 minutes away. There is no tourniquet in his kit, only gauze rolls and a triangular bandage. Using START, what should the triage officer do?
1. ATag red and wait with him until transport
2. BTag yellow, since he follows commands
3. CTag red, control the bleeding, then move on
4. DStay with him and start IV fluids
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Question 23 · Medium
Consider these phases of the disaster cycle: 1. Response 2. Mitigation 3. Rehabilitation 4. Preparedness. After a disaster strikes, in which order do they follow?
1. A4, 1, 3, 2
2. B3, 1, 4, 2
3. C1, 3, 2, 4
4. D1, 2, 3, 4
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Question 24 · Easy
At a mass casualty incident, where should triage of the injured first be carried out?
1. AIn the operation theatre
2. BAt the district emergency control room
3. COnly at the hospital gate
4. DAt the site, before transport
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Question 25 · Medium
At a bus crash on a national highway, the first doctor uses START triage. The walking wounded have been sent to a shaded area. A man lying beside the road is not breathing. After his airway is opened with a head tilt-chin lift, he starts breathing at 12/min. Which tag should he receive?
1. AYellow
2. BGreen
3. CRed
4. DBlack
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

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Disaster management, triage and mass casualties

After floods in Assam, the state health department plans to retrofit district hospitals in the flood zone by raising generators, oxygen plants and operation theatres above the highest recorded flood level. In which phase of the disaster cycle does this work fall?

After a train derailment in Odisha, a doctor doing START triage assesses a man who cannot walk because of a fractured femur. He is breathing at 22/min, his radial pulse is present, capillary refill is under 2 seconds and he follows commands. Which triage category is correct?

A district disaster plan in Gujarat is being revised after a chemical leak at an industrial estate. Under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, who chairs the District Disaster Management Authority?

After an earthquake in Uttarakhand, the triage officer at a field casualty post puts a black tag on a casualty. What does a black tag mean in the four-colour triage system?

After a cyclone in coastal Andhra Pradesh, 40 bodies are recovered in a village. The sarpanch, fearing an epidemic, asks the PHC medical officer to have all the bodies cremated together at once without identification. What is the most appropriate advice?

At a building collapse in Mumbai, a doctor doing START triage reaches a woman who is not breathing. He repositions her airway with a head tilt, but she still does not breathe. Which triage category should she be given?

At a state workshop on disaster risk reduction, the trainer refers to the global agreement adopted in 2015 that guides India's National Disaster Management Plan up to 2030. What is this framework called?

At a factory fire in Ludhiana, a doctor doing START triage finds a man who cannot walk. He is breathing on his own at 36 breaths/min, his radial pulse is present and he obeys commands. Which triage category should he be given?

A bus overturns on a highway near Nashik, and the first doctor at the scene asks everyone who can walk to move to a marked area by the roadside. Twelve people walk across with cuts and bruises. Under the four-colour triage system, which tag do they get?

Two hours after a building collapse in Mumbai, a woman tagged yellow for a closed femur fracture is still waiting at the casualty clearing station; she has not yet had any fluids. Her pulse is now 128/min, BP 84/56 mmHg, and she is cold, clammy and restless. What should be done?

Consider these phases of the disaster cycle: 1. Response 2. Mitigation 3. Rehabilitation 4. Preparedness. After a disaster strikes, in which order do they follow?

At a mass casualty incident, where should triage of the injured first be carried out?

At a bus crash on a national highway, the first doctor uses START triage. The walking wounded have been sent to a shaded area. A man lying beside the road is not breathing. After his airway is opened with a head tilt-chin lift, he starts breathing at 12/min. Which tag should he receive?