After having been rehearsed twice, the largest-ever cross-department chemical-attack drill yesterday was held successfully at a downtown Taipei MRT stop, but the premier wondered if the attack response teams could handle a surprise drill.
The drill took place at the Hsiao Nanmen station near the Presidential Office, the Ministry of National Defense office and other government buildings. The drill simulated a response to a sarin gas attack in an MRT passenger car.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄), who watched the drill from start to finish, praised it as a success, but did tell authorities involved that there was room for improvement.
Chang said he would like to see a similar drill held without any warning.
"I want to know how well our chemical-attack response teams can respond to conditions that they are not warned of in advance. This is a test that I want relevant agencies and other local governments to conduct in the future," Chang said.
The chemical-attack response teams from the Taipei municipal fire department, the Environmental Protection Administration and the army, together conducted yesterday's drill, had undergone two previous rehearsals for the attack scenario and were also informed of yesterday's drill in advance.
Chang also cast doubt on procedures recommended by the army for the public to follow in the event of a chemical attack.
The procedures are on a small card printed by the army for distribution to the public.
The cards list five steps for what to do in case of a chemical attack: Run out of the contaminated place, remove one's clothing, bathe with clean water, put on clean clothes and seek medical treatment.
Chang suggested that the first step could be inappropriate in that it might cause people to panic and run away from the scene in a dangerous manner.
"It is essential that every citizen be issued one of these cards, but before that's done I hope the authorities concerned can reconsider whether it is appropriate to suggest `run' as the first step to be taken," Chang said.
An article printed on Friday's opinion page in a local newspaper, had also strongly questioned if running is an appropriate first step.
The article, written by a doctor at National Taiwan University Hospital, argues that if people are urged to run immediately out of a contaminated place, the situation could rapidly spin out of control and that many people could be trampled or that they might quickly spread the gas agent to other places.
The doctor suggested a safer approach would be to have chemical-attack personnel at the site in charge of getting the situation under control.
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