Hai Phong City Conducts Large-Scale Firefighting and Rescue Exercise

Hai Phong City, a major port city in northern Vietnam, conducted a large-scale city-level firefighting and rescue exercise on September 14th at the May Tinh Loi Limited Company factory within the Lai Vu Industrial Park. This exercise aimed to enhance the overall disaster preparedness capabilities of the region. The drill commenced with a simulated fire breaking out at 9:00 AM in Warehouse No. 1 of Factory No. 2, belonging to May Tinh Loi Limited Company. This warehouse covered an area of 13,209 square meters and stored approximately 5,000 tons of fabric and finished products. Within about 15 minutes of the outbreak, the fire had spread to an area of approximately 4,500 square meters, generating a large amount of smoke and toxic gases, and posing a significant risk of spreading to adjacent areas. At the time of the simulated fire, about 10,000 workers were on duty at the factory. Furthermore, during the evacuation and asset recovery process, a forklift collided with a raw material storage rack 6 meters high, causing the rack to collapse and resulting in 5 injuries and entrapments. Approximately 10 individuals remained trapped inside the warehouse, unable to escape. After about 45 minutes, a portion of the warehouse roof and steel structure deformed and collapsed over an area of about 2,000 square meters, threatening to spread the fire to nearby facilities. In response to this scenario, the on-site fire and rescue forces immediately sounded the alarm, initiated firefighting operations, guided workers to safety, searched for trapped individuals, and began recovering assets. Concurrently, professional units and relevant departments were notified for assistance. Upon the arrival of the Hai Phong City Police and supporting units, a command center was established, and firefighting, rescue, and relief operations were deployed from multiple directions, focusing on containing and isolating the fire, saving lives, and preventing its spread. The exercise mobilized forces and equipment from the City Police, the City Military Command, various committees, departments, medical units, the power company, the water supply company, specialized fire and rescue forces, and other related units. At its peak, 89 motor vehicles and specialized equipment, along with over 850 officers and soldiers, and approximately 3,000 workers from May Tinh Loi Limited Company participated. Firefighting efforts involved deploying over 6.5 kilometers of hoses and utilizing water sources from 11 fire hydrants, 2 regulating ponds, and 2 water ditches within the industrial park. By the end of the drill, 15 injured and trapped victims were rescued, assets, vehicles, and goods were recovered, and the simulated fire across approximately 10,000 square meters was completely extinguished, ensuring the absolute safety of all participating forces and equipment. The exercise aimed to enhance the command and coordination capabilities between professional fire, rescue, and relief police forces and local on-site units. It also served to test the ability to handle situations and mobilize on-site facilities and logistics during fire and explosion incidents. Consequently, it directly improved the fire prevention and rescue awareness and knowledge of leaders and workers within enterprises, while vigorously promoting the movement for nationwide participation in fire prevention, rescue, and relief.