MPS, Hanoi promotes coordination in fire prevention and fighting

• Deputy Minister inspects fire prevention and firefighting work in Ho Chi Minh City
• Firefighting Police asks to improve expertise and capabilities
• Various meaningful activities carried out by future fire-fighting police officers
• Training session on firefighting and rescue skills held for Hanoi school teachers

Other leaders of the MPS attending the meeting included Senior Lieutenant General Le Quy Vuong and Lieutenant General Bui Van Thanh, Deputy Ministers of Public Security.

Representatives of the Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee at the meeting were Mr. Nguyen Duc Chung, Chairman of the Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee;, Deputy Chairmen of Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee,  Nguyen Van Suu and Nguyen Doan Toan.

Minister To Lam pointed out that in recent years, the number of fire and explosion cases in the capital city have been on the rise, causing huge losses of human and property, as well as  psychological insecurity in the community. The meeting was to assess exactly the local fire prevention and fighting work and effectiveness of firefighting measures implemented by relevant agencies of the MPS and the People's Committee of Hanoi over the past time, and discuss timely solutions to curb the situation, and minimize damages caused by fire incidents.

According to reports by the Hanoi Municipal Fire Police, the fire situation in the city became more and more complex. From 2011, the city had 600 to 800 fire related incidents every year. Fire incidents tended to rise in numbers and human and material losses. In the first 6 months of 2017, functional forces have fined some 2,000 offences of fire prevention and fighting regulations.

A large proportion of fire incidents took place in residential areas, warehouses, service businesses and multi-storey apartment buildings. The causes discussed at the meeting included fast and unplanned urbanization and  unsynchronized infrastructure development, failing to meet the requirements of fire prevention and fighting and rescue. Delegates also claimed that people and even some leaders of businesses and agencies have little knowledge and awareness of fire prevention and fighting.

The delegates of the meeting acknowledged that the fire prevention and fighting work in Hanoi still has many shortcomings, especially in taking fire prevention measures, disseminating fire prevention knowledge and regulations, and training firefighting and rescue skills for people. Other limitations include insufficient inspection, ineffective handling of offences of fire prevention and fighting regulations, and lack of fire prevention and fighting force and equipment, which has yet to meet the task requirements in the new situation.

Delegates also proposed many solutions to improving fire prevention and rescue in Hanoi in the coming time. They also agreed that a general drastic check should be carried out at facilities with high risks of fire and explosion.

Concluding the meeting, Minister Lam thanked the Hanoi Municipal Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee for their effective support for the MPS in the protection of security and order in general, fire prevention and fighting in particular in the capital city in the past years.

Minister Lam urged functional forces, especially fire fighting police, to promote dissemination and mobilize people to improve their capacity, self-awareness of fire prevention and fighting and rescue.