Disaster Risk Reducation Education

With cicadas singing, the sultry hot weather has not relented since July. Everyone has noticed that recent temperatures have soared above 35 degrees Celsius. If you stand in the sun, you will be sweating buckets in just a few minutes. This phenomenon of rising temperatures has led to huge impacts in Europe; there have been bushfires breaking out from Greece to Morocco, and thousands of residents have had to evacuate under emergency conditions from France and Spain. On July 19, temperatures in the UK reached 40 degrees Celsius and an “extreme heat” red warning was issued for the first time ever in British history.

Under the influences of global warming and climate extremes, heat waves and high temperatures have increased, and have led to natural disasters such as fires. The contents of this issue of the newsletter are centered around fire response, from daily fire prevention to emergency response in terrifyingly real fire scenes.

Life is precious, and everyone may only have one chance to deal with a fire. Do all of us have the confidence to implement the right fire survival knowledge, while escaping from a fire without panicking？ With the assistance of modern science and technology, the “Fire Response VR Skills Training System” aims to popularize fire escape response training. Through simulated scenarios and the different conditions of disaster drills, learners can repeatedly practice in the VR system. This is not only beneficial to improving the knowledge of fire response but also in developing and establishing the correct reactions to survive the disasters of a fire.

The featured campus of this newsletter is the Ruei Hu Branch of Shihu Elementary School in Miaoli County. The school principal has studied issues of fire disaster for a long time, and even established a fire survival classroom on the campus. Through the demonstration and operation of teaching tools, the school aims to promote comprehensive fire response and life education.

Last but not least, the Disaster Prevention Youth Ambassadors have shared their responsibilities in the task of education promotion. Not only do they share about their regular promotional education activities on disaster risk reduction, but they have also recorded their inner reflections and perspectives on participating in the Youth Ambassador team. Their sharing helps us understand the enthusiasm and mood of these young people.