Feba UK is contributing to efforts to reduce the loss of life after a major disaster.

The Chrysolite ‘suitcase studio’ will be part of the FIRST Response Disaster Radio Field Trial in India, 23 – 30 June. The field trial will train radio broadcasters and other non-governmental organisation (NGO) staff in disaster response radio with the aim of setting up a local radio station within 72 hours of a disaster. To follow the progress of the FIRST Response Disaster Radio Field Trial, see the daily updates which will be posted here.

Feba colleagues based in South Asia, along with staff from other partner organisations, will attend a five-day workshop in Bangalore, India, which combines background knowledge about radio with the unique environment experienced from disaster relief work. On 27 June they will move to Nagapattinam, an area devasted by the Boxing Day 2004 Tsunami, to conduct a three-day field trial, putting into practice all they have learnt.

The radio station will be set up and run under realistic conditions and generator power. The participants will gather information and interviews regarding critical information in a disaster situation and put it on air via FM and short wave. The programme content will not simulate a disaster but will relate to the 2004 Tsunami and involve participation from the community, government and NGO sources.

As well as establishing a fully equipped and capable team which is ready to respond to a disaster in the South Asia region, the field trial will test the performance of the latest version of the Chrysolite, the Mark 5. This latest version includes a mixer which works in high temperatures (40°C) and an H2 solid state portable recorder. The Mark 4 version was part of a field trial in the Philippines last year and so improvements in the equipment should be seen.