The rescue and recovery efforts following April's garment factory disaster in Bangladesh brought stories of selfless heroism, as volunteers risked their lives to help those trapped in the rubble. More than 1,100 workers died in what is now being described as the country's worst industrial disaster.
Unfortunately, some of the stories did not have a happy ending. Despite their courage, volunteers were hampered by lack of training and shortcomings in the emergency response procedures.
In one case that haunted the nation, rescuers laboured for 110 hours in an effort to save garment worker Shahina Akhter. Their efforts were undone when a fire broke out at the site. Akhter died and many of those were badly injured.
Among them was Mohammad Ejajuddin Ahmed Kaykobad, who suffered burns to 55% of his body. Flown to Singapore for treatment on the orders of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the brave engineer and father of two succumbed to his wounds on May 4th.
Even as the nation expresses its gratitude to the volunteers who risked life and limb, calls are mounting for Bangladesh to improve its disaster response capabilities, including through better training.
"We thank all the rescue workers for their passionate support in the rescue work. Without their help, we could not have saved all these lives," Fire Service Civil Defence Directorate's (FSCDD) head of training, planning and development, Mohammad Zihadul Islam, told Khabar South Asia. He underlined, however, that if the volunteers had had proper training, more lives could have been saved in less time.
The FSCDD, he said, now plans to launch an emergency response training programme for volunteers, focused on urban disasters such as building collapses.
"We are waiting on the completion of a course plan for training to these volunteers. After we finalise it, we will publicly summon them through newspaper advertisements to take part in that training programme," Islam explained.
The FSCDD has undertaken similar ventures in the past. Following the 2010 Nimtali fire in old Dhaka in which at least 129 people, mostly women and children, were killed, the agency set out to train youth volunteers in responding to devastating blazes. The department has trained about 18,000 volunteers since then. "That programme is still going on in full swing," Islam noted.
Theatre activist Asma Akhter Liza was one of thousands who poured to the garment factory district after the Rana Plaza building collapsed on April 24th, risking their own lives and suffering trauma themselves in their efforts to help others.
Liza saved 17 workers and recovered numerous dead bodies, she told Khabar.
"The sight of the dead bodies affected me mentally. I was treated at Enam Medical College and Hospital in Savar for a day before returning to rescue others a day later," she said.
Liza welcomed the training initiative.
"Kaykobad had to give his life because he did not have any proper training in such rescue efforts. Other rescue workers also faced hazards. Such trainings will help us plan and co-ordinate resources and efforts better with government departments," she said.
Friday 14 June 2013
http://khabarsouthasia.com/en_GB/articles/apwi/articles/features/2013/06/14/feature-01
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