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<span style="font-size: 17pt">Quake drill joke </span>
<span style="font-size: 14pt">Participants find simulation amusing;
emergency services late</span>
BY INGRID BROWN Senior staff reporter [email protected]
Saturday, January 30, 2010
JUST over two weeks after a magnitude-7 earthquake demolished the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, killing more than 200,000 people and leaving millions homeless, an earthquake drill in Spanish Town yesterday was treated as a joke by participants in the simulation, while emergency services were late in their response.
Half-an-hour after the 10:00 am drill began at the St Catherine Parish Council offices in the old capital, the ambulance had not arrived to transport those labelled as seriously injured or dying.
But while it was admittedly a time of trial and error, a number of the council workers who converged outside after simulated 'smoke' forced them out of the upper floor of the brick building, spent the time making light of the situation.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Having found the lighter side to the situation, a number of people laughed uncontrollably</span> instead of accounting for the workers in their respective departments. <span style="font-weight: bold">There was no one converging at either of the many signs marked</span> "General Assembly Point", "Treatment May Be Delayed", "Critical - Treat Immediately", and<span style="font-weight: bold"> "Dead or Dying".</span>
<span style="font-weight: bold">"Ah earthquake dis or fire?" one worker asked, erupting in uncontrollable laughter as she pointed to the 'smoke' billowing from the upper floor.
"Can we go and look for Sean or Craig?" asked another.
"Sean dead or missing," laughed her colleague.
Twenty minutes after the drill began, the fire truck stationed almost a stone's throw from the site was not yet on the scene.
"Maybe they have trouble getting here because of the <span style="font-style: italic">rubble</span> in the road," one woman commented with a snicker.</span>
Assistant Superintendent James Lee of the Spanish Town fire station told the Observer that the unit was late getting to the scene because they had an emergency to attend to at that time.
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<span style="font-style: italic">read entire article here ...</span>
<span style="font-size: 14pt">Participants find simulation amusing;
emergency services late</span>
BY INGRID BROWN Senior staff reporter [email protected]
Saturday, January 30, 2010
JUST over two weeks after a magnitude-7 earthquake demolished the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, killing more than 200,000 people and leaving millions homeless, an earthquake drill in Spanish Town yesterday was treated as a joke by participants in the simulation, while emergency services were late in their response.
Half-an-hour after the 10:00 am drill began at the St Catherine Parish Council offices in the old capital, the ambulance had not arrived to transport those labelled as seriously injured or dying.
But while it was admittedly a time of trial and error, a number of the council workers who converged outside after simulated 'smoke' forced them out of the upper floor of the brick building, spent the time making light of the situation.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Having found the lighter side to the situation, a number of people laughed uncontrollably</span> instead of accounting for the workers in their respective departments. <span style="font-weight: bold">There was no one converging at either of the many signs marked</span> "General Assembly Point", "Treatment May Be Delayed", "Critical - Treat Immediately", and<span style="font-weight: bold"> "Dead or Dying".</span>
<span style="font-weight: bold">"Ah earthquake dis or fire?" one worker asked, erupting in uncontrollable laughter as she pointed to the 'smoke' billowing from the upper floor.
"Can we go and look for Sean or Craig?" asked another.
"Sean dead or missing," laughed her colleague.
Twenty minutes after the drill began, the fire truck stationed almost a stone's throw from the site was not yet on the scene.
"Maybe they have trouble getting here because of the <span style="font-style: italic">rubble</span> in the road," one woman commented with a snicker.</span>
Assistant Superintendent James Lee of the Spanish Town fire station told the Observer that the unit was late getting to the scene because they had an emergency to attend to at that time.
_____________________________
<span style="font-style: italic">read entire article here ...</span>
