Demand for CPR education rises after Itaewon tragedy
2023-01-30
來源： 開云體育app官方網站
In this undated provided photo, visitors learn to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on dummies at Boramae Safety Experience Center in Seoul. Courtesy of Boramae Safety Experience Center
Repeated disasters spur demand for safety education
By Lee Hae-rin
"Do any of you know when and where the next earthquake will take place? Can I have a show of hands?" Oh Jung-hwan, a drill instructor at Boramae Safety Experience Center who is also a firefighter with 10 years of experience, said during a disaster education session, Monday. The room filled with dozens of students and office workers remained silent, while some had curious expressions on their faces and giggled.
"As far as we can tell (from the silence), no one knows when a disaster will occur. That's why it's crucial for us to know and train in advance how to deal with an emergency situation," the instructor said. He went on to explain the three steps to take during an earthquake: reporting, hiding and escaping.
Boramae Safety Experience Center, located in Seoul's southwestern Dongjak District, is the largest institution built in the country to offer a range of anti-disaster training programs and strengthen the community's ability to prevent and respond to emergencies. It is one of two such centers in the capital, along with Gwangnaru Safety Experience Center at Children's Grand Park in Seoul's eastern Gwangjin District, established by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and managed by Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters.
The centers offer training for typhoons, earthquakes, fires and traffic accidents, as well as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) education free of charge. Six experienced fire officials including Oh work as drill instructors there and share their vivid accounts of field experiences in natural and manmade disasters.
Children experience a typhoon simulation with wind speeds up to approximately 110 kilometers per hour at Boramae Safety Experience Center in Seoul in this undated photo. Courtesy of Boramae Safety Experience Center
Oh said safety education was popular even before the Oct. 29 crowd crush disaster in Itaewon, but what changed after the tragedy is that there has been rising demand for online courses in CPR education. The center opened more CPR courses online to meet the rising demand, he said.
Following Oh's instructions, visitors took turns in groups of five to enter an earthquake experience room modeled as a real kitchen. As they sat around the table, the room began shaking to simulate an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale, startling the guests. A drill instructor standing nearby reminded them of Oh's training and guided them to shout, "Earthquake!" then grab a cushion to protect themselves from falling objects overhead and hide under the table until the tremors come to an end.
"It feels so real and it's so much fun! Can I do it again later with my friends?" Kim Yoo-jung, a student in her second year at Hanwool Middle School, said in excitement. She tried the earthquake drill once more in another group and followed the next sessions attentively.
During Monday's disaster training session, Kim and her classmates, as well as a group of office workers from the Korea Disabled People's Development Institute, learned how to escape from a collapsed building, shelter from a 5.0 scale earthquake while indoors by covering their heads, use a fire extinguisher properly and handle a traffic accident.
In a room next door, a CPR session was held in the afternoon.
"When one's heart stops beating (during cardiac arrest), the other organs in our bodies cannot function properly because oxygen can't be delivered through the bloodstream. That's why we perform CPR to keep the heart going," explained Choi Hyung-soo, another experienced fire official and the center's instructor. She explained that the critical window of time for a cardiac arrest patient is four minutes, because that's how long the brain can last without a supply of oxygen.
She showed how to resuscitate a cardiac arrest patient on a man-sized dummy on the floor and how to use a defibrillator. The group took turns performing CPR on dummies while drill instructors corrected their postures and encouraged them not to rest.
"I learned to how do CPR theoretically in the past, but I always thought I would be too scared to actually do it in a real-life situation," Jeon Hui-ji, a 24-year-old student from Konkuk University, told The Korea Times after the training session. "It is more difficult than I thought but I feel better prepared for emergency situations now." She added that although she went to the center as part of a school assignment, she is more than willing to recommend it to her friends.
The center has also provided disaster education for foreign residents, and it has even welcomed fire authorities from other countries to benchmark its programs, Oh said. Last month, the Malaysian deputy prime minister visited the center and took a tour with government officials, he said.
Son Mi-hyun, a safety management team leader at the Korea Disabled People's Development Institute who brought 15 of her colleagues to Monday's program, underscored the importance of disaster education.
Children learn to respond in an outdoor earthquake scenario at Boramae Safety Experience Center in this undated photo. Courtesy of Boramae Safety Experience Center
"People need to always be prepared for disaster situations, and real-life training is essential in learning how to handle unexpected emergencies. Since the Itaewon tragedy, we have seen a stronger consensus on the need for safety education," Son told The Korea Times after the safety and CPR sessions.
"Before (the Itaewon tragedy), many people (at Son's workplace) participated in safety education out of obligation and thought they would never need it. However, everyone now thinks it could happen to any of us at any time and they all take it seriously," Son said.
She and her colleagues said it was a rewarding experience to be better prepared to help others in future emergency situations, and said they hope others will be able to help them as well, if they are likewise in need.
Last week, Oh said he witnessed a boy sending his younger brother under the table before taking shelter himself. "I told him, 'That was very brave. You should become a firefighter,'" Oh said.
"We believe safety education is as important as field work (in disaster situations). Disasters could happen to anyone and advance training could prevent emergencies."
Oh explained that he and his colleagues believe ordinary people can make a difference in disasters.
The safety experience centers' drill sessions and CPR programs are available for both Korean and foreign nationals. Those who wish to make reservations can visit their websites (Boramae, Gwangnaru center).
