THE best way to handle emergencies is to try to prevent them from happening at all. That wasn’t exactly what Yan Hong, 38, initially had in mind six years ago when he founded a club of military fans called Sonic Volunteers.

But today, it is Shanghai’s largest non-governmental organization, dedicated to disaster-prevention awareness.

“What we are doing, in simplest terms, is limiting damage as much as possible before the responders from the 110 emergency number, the 119 fire call line or the 120 ambulance hotline are called to the scene,” Yan says.

The organization now has more than 400 active volunteers in Shanghai and 300,000 online members from all walks of life — teachers, office clerks, college students, civil servants, highway toll collectors and self-employed tailors.

The group has sponsored hundreds of public lectures on first aid and safety procedures in almost every district of Shanghai, reaching more than 100,000 residents.

It has also held regular fire drills in old neighborhoods, narrow streets, building materials markets, office buildings and schools. Each drill involves between 200 and 1,500 people.

Yan and his team often take residents on patrol with them around local communities to point out potential hazards like illegal wiring, blocked fire exits and missing fire extinguishers.

“It’s like this,” Yan says. “If you keep your wallet safe, you won’t have your money stolen. Our task is to teach citizens how to keep their neighborhoods safe. That means spotting risks and acting on them before they become emergencies. It’s a community self-help program.”

The practice fire drills teach people how to extricate themselves from big fires in high-rises or on public transport.

“How many of you have ever operated a fire extinguisher?” Yan asked his audience of more than 200 neighborhood security guards at one public lecture.

He repeated the question three times before two hands shyly went up.

“The Chinese are often criticized for being indifferent to the plight of others,” Yan says. “We are trying to teach students standard cardiopulmonary resuscitation procedures so that they are more likely to help someone on the street who is in an emergency situation.”

The founding members of Sonic Volunteers all had army backgrounds, so it’s not surprising that the organization is run with military precision. Volunteers have their own uniforms for winter and summer, clothing that is fireproof and waterproof, with safety reflectors.

Everyone has an ID number and a badge stitched on the uniform. The group’s instructors hold ranks commensurate with first aid licenses, experience and service years. Other volunteers are designated as either emergency or ordinary groups.

“It’s cool to have a uniform with a badge, isn’t it?” Yan says. “It makes us feel united and gives everyone a heartfelt sense of mission and responsibility.”

Sonic Volunteer’s first civic duty came in 2008 when its members were called on to help maintain public order at an event of more than 1,000 people in downtown People’s Park. They were praised by city officials who attended the event for their professional manner.

The volunteers were also on hand at the World Expo 2010 Shanghai. Members were dispatched to various Metro stations to maintain order during rush hours.

“Being part of Expo gave us a great sense of achievement,” Yan says.

It’s not easy to be a Sonic volunteer. After applying online, a prospective member must appear for an interview.

“The most important principle is that you need to have a helping heart,” Yan says.

The group isn’t interested in people who think it might be a great place for finding a mate, people who want some reimbursement for their participation or those who simply want a free CPR course to get a first-aid license.

A Sonic volunteer is required to attend meetings, participate in group activities and take training lessons. They are required to learn how to plummet down a 5-story building. Most volunteers have attended Red Cross primary first-aid courses and the emergency volunteers all have EMT licenses.

Wu Xinping, 26, chose to work for Sonic Volunteers full-time after he finished his studies in Japan. He was part of order maintenance in the Jing’an Temple area of downtown on the eve of the Chinese New Year.

“I couldn’t join our family reunion dinner because I had to be on time for my duty,” he recalls. “What Sonic Volunteers is doing dovetails with my life goal. I always wanted to work in a charity organization.”

Though the work the organization does may often be on a small scale, every effort helps contribute to a safer and healthier city.

One night, two Sonic volunteers on patrol found a man lying face down in the street. A quick check ascertained that he was drunk but not hurt. Police were called and the man was sent to hospital.

“If we hadn’t seen him, he might have been hit by a car or robbed,” volunteer Zhu Jian says. “We essentially thwarted a situation that might have gotten out of control.”

On another occasion, several volunteers were set upon by a gang of thieves in front of the Shanghai Art Gallery. The attackers were quickly and efficiently repelled, no doubt amazed that their quarry were so professionally trained.