Article Published in Malay Mail - Getting help in an emergency

October 15, 2007

DEAR Editor,
Balik Kampung is here again and while Malaysians prepare to travel back from the Hari Raya holidays with their family, the agencies providing emergency services are entrusted with the task of responding to emergencies, especially on our roads.

Personnel and volunteers, additional vehicles and equipment are put on standby around the clock to respond to life threatening emergencies, which depend on several factors.
The emergency hotline number is now 999.

In case of an emergency, do not waste time, calling family members or friends, and be prepared to provide vital information such as your name, telephone number, the location of the incident, the nature of the incident and number of people, among others.
Educate your children on how they to can use the number and remind them not to misuse it.
Landmarks are important information when responding to emergency situations so that help can be sent fast.

You must also be able to advise on which side of the road the accident or emergency situation has occurred, to enable emergency service personnel to take the fastest route to the site.
Motorists should not misuse the emergency lanes to park their vehicles to look at the aftermath of an accident because this will cause traffic congestion thereby blocking emergency service vehicles from reaching the site.

Try not to drive slowly to get a glimpse of what is happening because you would be slowing down other vehicles behind you and cause a traffic jam.

Traffic lights and junctions are often allocated with buffer space, marked with stripes that can be used by emergency service vehicles to pass through; unfortunately these are not spared by impatient queue-jumpers.

When an emergency service vehicle approaches with its lights flashing and sirens blaring, you should give way.
At the scene of an accident, it is common for the public to gather and watch rescue efforts.
While it is interesting to watch, many fail to realise the danger they are facing.
An accident scene can be very hazardous because of possible fuel spills.
It is sad to observe some lighting their cigarettes at the scene.

At the same time, crowding the scene only slows down the rescue efforts.
When an accident occurs, emergency services are the only hope for survival for victims.
Thus, everyone must work together to achieve a smooth rescue operation.
Give some thought to these scenarios so you do not become an obstacle to victims who need help quickly.

Noel Silas Savarimuthu
Malaysian Red Crescent Klang Chapter

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