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North Pariaman , West Sumatra. A siren sounded and parents and children, their bags held above their heads, began spilling out of South Tungkal village’s small streets into an open field.

The siren signals an earthquake, but this was not a real one, just one of the simulations that have been held here since the devastating 7.9-magnitude temblor last Sept. 30 that killed 46, injured hundreds and destroyed more than 13,000 homes in Pariaman — one of the worst-hit areas because of its proximity to the epicenter.

In the open field near the village, people began setting up emergency tents and some children started going around collecting information from the injured and giving first-aid medical assistance.

A local nongovernmental organization, Advocacy Services for Justice and Reconciliation in Indonesia (Padma Indonesia), together with Plan Indonesia, has been training children to be better prepared for earthquakes in this subdistrict.

“Children are shocked by disasters such as earthquakes and they do not know what to do when it happens. They need to be educated about what to do to save their lives and their families,” Ervin Walenta, a program coordinator for Padma Indonesia, told the Jakarta Globe.

The NGOs have been carrying out training programs in six villages in North Pariaman — Cubadak Air, South Tungkal, Sungai Rambai, Sikapak Barat, South Cubadak Air and North Cubadak Air — since January. Each program lasts four and a half months and targets 15 children aged 7 to 12.

Over the first three months, Ervin said, children sit in training sessions to learn about what disasters are, how to prepare for them and how to respond when they happen.

“However, the children are also able to play in order to enjoy this activity,” she said, adding that the training programs include painting sessions, football games and documenting the activities through video so the children can review what they studied.

They are also taught how to conduct initial damage assessments, how to prepare and source logistics like food and tents, how to give first aid and how to assist the most vulnerable groups such as other children and the elderly.

“These children can now map danger zones in their villages and determine what resources are needed,” Ervin said.

The children attend the training sessions after school from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. once every two weeks, according to Indra Edi, a volunteer from Sungai Rambai village.

After the first three months, the next month and a half are dedicated to in-depth lectures on disasters and reinforcing the material the children have learned.

Helmi Darmas, an 11-year-old from South Tungkal, said she enjoyed the training.

“I am happy and it is fun, and I feel less afraid of earthquakes,” she said. “Now I know what to do when there is an earthquake, and I am comfortable giving first aid.”

Eko, 11, also from South Tungkal, said he now knew that during an earthquake, he had to protect his head from falling materials with a bag. “Now I know that the head is very important,” he said.

Ervin and Indra said the children who went through the training were also given bags that contained a first-aid kit, as well as a book and a pen for disaster preparedness.

The children are told the bags should be hung on the walls of their homes, instead of stored inside cupboards.

The children will be officially recognized as representatives of their respective villages for a citywide disaster preparedness group, which is soon to be inaugurated by the subdistrict chief of North Pariaman.

Nigel Chapman, the CEO of Plan International, told the Globe that he was pleased with the disaster simulations.

“They looked well-organized, they came out on time and they clearly knew what they should do,” he said of the children.

Indra said that disaster preparedness had now become part of the curriculum in the six villages’ schools so that all students received basic knowledge.

“We also have a forum so children can share knowledge, information and experiences.”