Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia hold joint firefighting, search, rescue exercise

Vietnamese Minister of Public Security General To Lam; Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Public Security of Laos General Lakhamphong Vilay; and Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior Abhisantibindit Sar Sokha witnessed the drill.

Speaking at the event, Lam said that Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia always aim to ensure safety for their people and build the three Indochinese countries of peace, stability, development, and prosperity.

Regarding fire prevention and control, and search and rescue, the three countries have shared practical cooperation, he said.

Developing and organising exercises can bring practical results, meeting requirements in ensuring national security, social order, and safety in the three countries.

The exercise is an opportunity for their firefighters and rescuers to exchange experience, learn from each other, and improve tactics, techniques, and combat capacity in handling fires, incidents, and accidents, he noted.

According to the hypothetical situation at the Da Nang exercise, an accident among a coach, chemical and gasoline tank trucks occurred in the border area. The fire prevention, fighting and rescue forces of the three countries mobilised more than 100 personnel and modern fire-fighting equipment to handle the traffic accident, chemical leaks, and petroleum tanker fire.

Rescue plans were implemented effectively such as using specialised tools to cut bus frames and rescue people trapped inside; using specialised clothing to handle leaked chemicals; and using automatic fire fighting robots.

The exercise took place successfully as planned. After the event, participating forces from the countries learned from the experience to improve their skills.