Officials from the Ministry of Public Security's Fire Fighting Department are campaigning hospitality workers to undertake fire response training before the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane .
The department's Deputy Head of Information, Major Sengdao Soulathong, said at a fire training seminar at Don Chan Palace hotel yesterday that knowing how to prevent, fight and rescue people from a fire is a particularly useful skill for those working in the hospitality sector.
“They might only learn the basics during a short training course but it's better than not knowing anything at all,” he said.
The department has campaigned to train more people for several years, but says this year is especially important given the hosting of the SEA Games in December.
Major Sengdao explained that the training would teach people how to fight a fire if it does occur, how to correctly use fire safety equipment, and how to rescue people from a fire scenario.
More than 150 staff from Don Chan Hotel participated in the two day training course, learning theoretical skills and then practising with the department officials.
“Completing the training course will allow staff to act as a frontline of defence until professional fire crews arrive,” Major Sengdao explained.
He added that staff will also continue to teach other new staff in the future.
The department's officials reported that many people are unconcerned about fire if they have never experienced one first hand. They said this will usually lead to a lack of preparation, and usually an inappropriate response which can cause a fire to get out of hand.
Major Sengdao said the staff were given the opportunity to ask questions, which included what to do if the fire truck had no water or arrived late.
“Some people thought the truck may not have water, but in fact all fire trucks are on stand-by 24 hours a day. They don't understand that the fire truck water pipe is very big so it only takes a short time to empty the water tank on the truck and refill it again,” he explained.
The hotel's Safety and Security Manager, Mr Chickko Fongvongchit, said all the staff learnt a lot from the training course, and it would help them prepare for any worst case scenario that might occur during the games.
The department's officials also confirmed that they were ready to respond to any accidents during the games.
“All fire fighting officials will be on standby with trucks and equipment ready to fight an accident whenever it occurs,” Major Sengdao said.
By Souknilundon Southivongnorath
Vientianetimes
