Residents and rescue
workers practice emergency drills in Song Pheenong, Rayong.
Patcharapol Panrak
Residents of the town closest to Rayong’s IRPC Plc petroleum
complex practiced evacuation procedures and learned the characteristic
of chemical threats facing their community during an accident.
Worawit Suphchokchai, mayor of Song Pheenong, presided over the Aug. 6
emergency drill in Rayong’s Muang District with Sayan Srisawat, head of
Rayong’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department. Local residents
joined Sawang Pornsakul Foundation volunteers, officials from four area
communities and representatives from IRPC for the exercise.
Located closest to the integrated oil refining and
production plant, Song Pheenong must be on constant alert for accidents
that could spread fire or chemical gases into neighboring homes, Worawit
said.
The day’s main event was a simulated chlorine gas leak. Residents were
taught to recognize the threat, in this case a while cloud of chemical
gas, and choose the appropriate evacuation route. Company and DPMD
staffers played their parts in notifying the government of the accident
and responding to the leak.
The goals for citizens were to avoid panic, move in the same direction,
understand the situation and provide help and communication with others.
The remainder of the day was devoted to educating residents about
various chemical threats and their effects and symptoms. Worawit said
the most-important part of an emergency-response plan is to properly
identify what the threat was.
If gases are flammable, residents need to be aware of explosion and fire
risks. If the leaks are chemical, they need to be able to determine what
chemical is in play, including natural gas, chlorine or other stances.
Officials informed residents about symptoms, such as burning skin,
sneezing, throat and eye irritation, and paralysis.
