Only highly-trained people should be used in a crisis
Last week, we invited our readers to share their thoughts on how to improve emergency rescue operations in Viet Nam, following a household gas explosion that claimed the lives of two children. Here are some of the letters we received.
Huong Thieu Huyen, Vietnamese, Ha Noi
| Next week: The surprise visit this week of Hollywood couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt to Viet Nam turned into a media frenzy, causing reporters from local and international media to follow every move of the couple and their six children, especially their adopted Vietnamese son Pax Thien. The visit also helped showcase some of the most intriguing images about Viet Nam to the world – the pristine, aquamarine beaches of Con Dao and its renowned prison ‘tiger cage',' a traditional meal in a rustic restaurant and the conical hat worn by Angelina during the visit. Viet Nam's Con Dao Island has been named as one of the top 10 romantic destinations in the world for 2011 by the UK's Lonely Planet magazine. But still, the destination has not been promoted well enough for it to become a must-see destination. Consider what Thailand has done to promote Phi Phi Island where Leonardo DiCaprio shot the movie The Beach, how do you think Vietnamese businesses and tourism agencies should take advantage of similar celebrities' visits to promote the country's tourism? Do you want to visit a destination that was previously visited by celebrities or well-known figures? What influences your decision to visit a destination – ads, TV shows, movies or other sources? We welcome your opinions. Emails should be sent to: opinion.vietnamnews@ gmail.com – or by fax to (84-4) 3 933 2311. Letters can be sent to The Editor, Viet Nam News, 11 Tran Hung Dao Street, Ha Noi. Replies to this week's question must be received by Thursday morning, November 25. |
The gas explosion that claimed the lives of two children in Ha Noi earlier this month is really a wake-up call for my family and many other households with gas stove. It's not only an issue about how to use a stove properly, but also who to call for help in emergency and what people can expect from rescue teams.
To be honest, when I first used a gas stove at the age of 10, I was taught how to turn it on and off. When I was older, my mother told me how to keep it clean and to close the safety valve after cooking so that no gas could escape into the kitchen.
We rarely talked about what to do if we smelt gas. The gas supplier was called to tackle any serious problems.
Householders first need to be better equipped to deal with such situations.
I'm not positive about rescue services in this country, especially in the crowded narrow streets of Ha Noi. This is out of the control of rescue teams. It's also difficult to identify the location of accidents that happen in "no name" streets, or the many houses that have the same address.
Rescue teams would be more effective if they were better equipped and trained, but I think that it's also crucial to facilitate their work by proper planning in terms of transportation, construction and public support.
Flynn Kerr Bloom, British, HCM City
One can't help feel frustrated knowing that it took six hours to pull two children out of the rubble when it was already too late.
Why did it take so long given the fact that the collapsed house was relatively small? Had the rescue team been familiar with their jobs and equipped with decent equipment, the situation may have ended up less tragically.
If we failed to respond properly to this specific case involving four people, how can we expect to handle large-scale emergencies?
I heard that in each province and city, they are establishing fire brigades as an separate, independent entities from the general police to provide both fire and rescue services. This practice works well in many Western countries.
Many skills needed for rescue operations are completely different and more specialised than skills required for fire fighting alone.
The squad attending to emergency rescue incidents will receive intensive training and cutting-edge equipment.
I know it will take time and money to establish highly-trained personnel capable of handing emergency incidents properly regardless of the scale, but at least we have a reason to hope that things will change for the better.
Kobana Sato, Japanese, HCM City
Before asking what to do to improve rescue efforts, can you tell me which number I should call in case of an emergency?
Even though I have been living here for quite some time, I have to admit that I have no idea what to do. It's different in Japan. The emergency number is seen virtually everywhere and we believe foreigners are also well informed. And, from the time we are toddlers, we are taught to respond to emergency cases.
We have many education centres for this. One famous one is Tachikawa Bosaikan west of Tokyo, a centre where visitors can learn safety tips in case of emergencies.
In addition, we have highly-trained personnel. There are about 900 brigades nationwide, consisting of 150,000 regular firefighters, 21,000 fire vehicles and 920,000 fire volunteers.
I think Viet Nam, apart from building strong regular professional forces, should engage volunteers in fire operations. It should also enlist international expertise to transfer their expertise to their Vietnamese counterparts.
Elizabeth Rosea, Hungarian, Ha Noi
To rephrase an old saying: You have to know how to help yourself first before others can help you.
It occurs to me that Vietnamese lack even the basic skills when it comes to dealing with emergency incidents.
Ask a person which number they will dial if they happen to witness a building collapse, fire, electrical tragedy or drowning and I bet nine out of 10 will come up with the number 113. But in fact, the true number is 114.
I think this country needs more campaigns to educate the public about the correct response to emergency situations.
I also think that the television programmes now full of commercials, could be better used by running programmes teaching people survival skills. — VNS