20 May 25
Disaster Management in EMS
Lessons from a disaster
The resignation of South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won, and a public apology by its President, Park Geun-hye, over a ferry disaster, has not calmed the people of South Korea, grieving over the unexpected death of about 200 students who were on an excursion. Sewol, the ferry, sank on April 16 in southwestern South Korea, engulfing the country in sorrow, which quickly turned into anger against the government. Heads of state and heads of government are not directly involved in the implementation of safety standards, but that did not prevent people from expressing their rage against the country’s leadership: the President was heckled and wreaths sent by her to the school in Ansan in south of Seoul were returned by the inconsolable families. What appears to have angered the people the most is the lack of urgency exhibited by those responsible for handling the emergency response system: the ferry took two-and-a-half hours to sink fully, and yet only 174 people were saved.
There are many lessons to be drawn from the disaster in South Korea. For instance, it should be a basic tenet that the industry and regulator should not be from the same pool of talent. It is time for governments to put in place measures to reward compliance and deal firmly with violators of basic safety standards who put lives at risk. more