What was not the stupefaction of the residents of Hua Hin to see the rescue teams mobilized around flames and explosions in order to assist the many injured people spread around the disaster. Fortunately, all this was only a training exercise planned by the municipality office acting out the hypothetical accident of a gas truck hitting the wall of Hua Hin temple on Petchkasem Road.
The exercise involved all concerned Hua Hin agencies, both the Sawang Police Station, the Thammasathan Foundation Rescue Unit, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Officer and the Hua Hin Municipality. Very important equipment were mobilized for the occasion and many firemen were present to participate in this exercise larger than life. From the beginning of the exercise, Mr. Nopporn Wutthikul, Hua Hin Mayor and Director of Operations, ordered the officers to exclude all non-related personnel from the area due to the intensity of the flames and the noise of the repetitive explosions, involving the intervention of the police to regulate the traffic and prohibit the access to unauthorized cars in order to avoid any interference and to facilitate the progress of the operation.
The professional rescue workers sprayed water urgently to extinguish the fire, shocking the motorists on the road to Peshkasem, as the scene looked so real. It took less than half an hour for the personnel to bring the fire under control. As it occurred, one of the rescuers was taken of a malaise because of the smoke and the heat. Suffering from dizziness and shortness of breath, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Officer was rescued by the Sawang Hua Hin Foundation and transported to Hua Hin Hospital for further examination.
The Mayor of Hua Hin Mr. Nopporn Wutthikul, said that this exercise was intended to keep the emergency mechanisms on alert and to improve the coordination of services in case of real intervention. The Mayor of Hua Hin is indeed very concerned about the safety of the citizens and the many Thai and foreign travelers who walk along the streets of this very touristy city.
This exercise is considered as a success, the different rescue organizations were able to intervene efficiently in order to contain the fire in about 25 minutes, this instructive practice also helped to improve the coordination of the teams in order to be able to perform even more efficient interventions in the future.
