Let’s
Do Action!!!
The Origin of ACTION 2015
Background Information on the Kaohsiung Gas Explosion
On 31 July 2014, a series of gas explosions occurred in the Cianjhen and Lingya districts of Kaohsiung, following reports of gas leaks earlier that night. 32 people were killed and 321 others were injured.
31 July 2014 8:46 p.m. Three hours prior to the incident.
Eyewitnesses reported smell of gas leakage and white smoke coming out of manholes near Kaisyuan 3rd Road and Ersheng 1st Road in Cianjhen District.
31 July 2014 11:57 p.m.
The explosions occurred later on Yisin Road, Ersheng Road, Sanduo Road and Guanghua Road. Witnesses reported seeing fireballs soaring into the sky and flames reaching 15 stories high. The blasts ripped up roads and caused a massive blackout. About 6 km of neighboring roads were damaged. The explosions also reportedly blew cars and motorcycles high up in the air; some vehicles and victims were found on the rooftops of buildings three or four stories high. One street had been split along its length, swallowing fire trucks and other vehicles.
After this terrifying disaster...
We found ourselves helpless when facing this catastrophe. Yet from the initial sighting of the gas leakage, to the actual explosion, we had roughly 3 hours to prepare ourselves and reduce casualties. In the end, unpreparedness and inadequate disaster awareness proved to be fatal.
Rescue work upon the disaster site was also, at first, slow to start. Ineffective coordination and a non-unified command system resulted in no less amounts of confusion at the scene.
ACTION, this year, will be mainly focusing on the Kaohsiung gas explosion incident. During the program, we will also work into deeper issues concerning "urban disaster management and evacuation mechanisms".
We hope to share with you a fruitful summer in southern Taiwan.
Why you should join ACTION 2015!
We all recognize that the disasters happening around the globe have a huge impact on humanity. Our goal, as a regional training program, is to prepare medical students for the possibilities of these disasters, and equip participants with essential skills to face emergencies. So that in the odds of an unfortunate event, medical students, as a part of the medical community, may contribute to minimize the damage which disasters might cause.
During ACTION 2015, we will mainly be focusing on two topics:
urban disasters and the incident command system.
1. Urban Disasters: There will be introductions on several kinds of common disasters that we may encounter. We will go deeper into the topic of disaster management with workshops and courses on emergency operations, communication, and triage.
2. The Incident Command System: This is a standardized system used in emergency situations. First established by the United States, the concept is now widely used by many countries as a standard procedure in dealing with all kinds of disasters.
The incident command system can be roughly divided into four categories: emergency planning, operations, logistics, and finance administration. These four categories also have several subcategories beneath them. A successful emergency operation must acquire coordination between the different divisions of the system. We will provide lectures and workshops for participants to practice and learn the system; there will also be practical fieldwork at the end of these courses to put your knowledge to the test.
JOIN US and HAVE FUN
See you in August!!!
