Crowding around an accident scene is a common sight in Malaysia , as ignorant member of the public gather to watch the drama, live at close range paying no heed to potential danger lurking the accident site . It is understandable, if one was first on scene or was there when the accident happened and decides to approach the accident scene to render help but crowding around even after emergency services and police have arrived on scene hinders rescue efforts and more importantly puts the life’s of the injured, the rescuers and the public themselves in greater danger.
The scene of accident is a dangerous area. Debris from damaged vehicle sharp in nature, hot engine parts, slippery lubricants and inflammable leaked fuel usually fill the hazardous accident scenes and sometimes damaged power lines and structures on the road adds on to make the situation more dangerous. Crowding also causes congestion to traffic as onlookers slow down to take a peek causing a chain reaction of a bumper to bumper situation and later misuse of the emergency lane causing a clog by irresponsible road users which in the end causes a delay in emergency vehicles reaching the accident scene.
An emergency worker is trained to always begin any rescue effort with the capital “D”. i.e. Danger. “Survey the scene & Check for DANGER” is the first thought that flashes in a rescuers mind as they activate themselves on arrival at the scene. This also helps to look out for and identify possible “Mechanism of Injury” to the victims in the accident. A damaged front windshield on the driver side or damaged steering wheel for instant indicates that the driver may not have had the seat belt secured therefore possibly sustaining injuries to the head and chest. Rescuers too need to take the necessary precaution to not get injured themselves. Crowding at the scene hinders this very first step from being carried out as the view on the accident scene become very much complicated. It takes the rescuers some time to even identify who is involved and injured and who is not.
Access to the injured is also difficult as the rescuers will have to walk past scores of on-looking crowd to get the injured victim. In an ideal situation all necessary tools and rescue equipments should be brought out from the rescue vehicle and placed near the scene for a swift rescue operation. Unfortunately as the scene is filled with crowd, it is not safe to leave too many tools unattended at the scene. Rescues are forced to run back and forth to pick up what they need to use hence slowing the rescue process. Small but crucial tools such as a flash lights can go missing in an instant if left unattended.
Work space at the accident scene becomes very limited with all the crowding and rescuers now have to work in that little space rubbing shoulders with the on-looking crowd. Rescue work becomes very slow as the rescuers need make sure no public is injured when work is carried out or when tools, equipments and damaged vehicle parts are moved about.
Another dreaded sight at the accident scene is to see someone smoking, totally ignorant that their act, risk a great danger or a hazy discomfort to say the least. Leaked fuel and flammable gas if present at the accident site might ignite causing another accident. An injured victim is already in an uncomfortable situation and it is made worse by the presence of cigarette smoke polluting the air. I personally experienced an incident that almost blinded me recently when an ignorant smoker standing next to me watching, almost burned my left eye when he lowered his hand after taking a puff while I was kneeling down, attending to an injured motorcyclist.
While there are laws in the “Akta Bomba Dan Penyelamat” to prevent crowding at accident scenes to stop the public from causing further danger or obstructing rescuer from carrying out their job promptly, we have yet to see it being enforced. Even when barricading plastic lines are put up to stop public from entering the accident scene, usually it is ignored. The police need to be more aggressive in accident scene management to clear the area off non-rescue personal including tow-truck operator and touts hence eliminating the risk of a second accident and to facilitate a swift and successful rescue effort. Public on the other hand, need to understand that their uninvited presence crowding the accident scene merely causes grave disadvantage to the rescue process and could contribute to loss of lives, maybe even their own.
The scene of accident is a dangerous area. Debris from damaged vehicle sharp in nature, hot engine parts, slippery lubricants and inflammable leaked fuel usually fill the hazardous accident scenes and sometimes damaged power lines and structures on the road adds on to make the situation more dangerous. Crowding also causes congestion to traffic as onlookers slow down to take a peek causing a chain reaction of a bumper to bumper situation and later misuse of the emergency lane causing a clog by irresponsible road users which in the end causes a delay in emergency vehicles reaching the accident scene.
An emergency worker is trained to always begin any rescue effort with the capital “D”. i.e. Danger. “Survey the scene & Check for DANGER” is the first thought that flashes in a rescuers mind as they activate themselves on arrival at the scene. This also helps to look out for and identify possible “Mechanism of Injury” to the victims in the accident. A damaged front windshield on the driver side or damaged steering wheel for instant indicates that the driver may not have had the seat belt secured therefore possibly sustaining injuries to the head and chest. Rescuers too need to take the necessary precaution to not get injured themselves. Crowding at the scene hinders this very first step from being carried out as the view on the accident scene become very much complicated. It takes the rescuers some time to even identify who is involved and injured and who is not.
Access to the injured is also difficult as the rescuers will have to walk past scores of on-looking crowd to get the injured victim. In an ideal situation all necessary tools and rescue equipments should be brought out from the rescue vehicle and placed near the scene for a swift rescue operation. Unfortunately as the scene is filled with crowd, it is not safe to leave too many tools unattended at the scene. Rescues are forced to run back and forth to pick up what they need to use hence slowing the rescue process. Small but crucial tools such as a flash lights can go missing in an instant if left unattended.
Work space at the accident scene becomes very limited with all the crowding and rescuers now have to work in that little space rubbing shoulders with the on-looking crowd. Rescue work becomes very slow as the rescuers need make sure no public is injured when work is carried out or when tools, equipments and damaged vehicle parts are moved about.
Another dreaded sight at the accident scene is to see someone smoking, totally ignorant that their act, risk a great danger or a hazy discomfort to say the least. Leaked fuel and flammable gas if present at the accident site might ignite causing another accident. An injured victim is already in an uncomfortable situation and it is made worse by the presence of cigarette smoke polluting the air. I personally experienced an incident that almost blinded me recently when an ignorant smoker standing next to me watching, almost burned my left eye when he lowered his hand after taking a puff while I was kneeling down, attending to an injured motorcyclist.
While there are laws in the “Akta Bomba Dan Penyelamat” to prevent crowding at accident scenes to stop the public from causing further danger or obstructing rescuer from carrying out their job promptly, we have yet to see it being enforced. Even when barricading plastic lines are put up to stop public from entering the accident scene, usually it is ignored. The police need to be more aggressive in accident scene management to clear the area off non-rescue personal including tow-truck operator and touts hence eliminating the risk of a second accident and to facilitate a swift and successful rescue effort. Public on the other hand, need to understand that their uninvited presence crowding the accident scene merely causes grave disadvantage to the rescue process and could contribute to loss of lives, maybe even their own.
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