Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Game The Resetta Stone

Opinion: When rescue means dying

Because of all these weeks, developments in Japan by the earthquake and tsunami in the region of Fukushima and seeing how the Japanese government responded to international assistance offered by many countries, I wondered about this great dilemma that is considering in recent days on the international rescue community on ¨ Seek or not, to the rescue of victims in Japan in areas of potential radioactive hazard? ·

Introduction

I
that all who are dedicated to rescue, first aid and rescue We seared the powerful call of duty when a specific incident occurs, but more so, the bitter sense of saving life and alleviating pain / as victims during a disaster of this kind. Be of any force, unit, NGO or institution which is dedicated to this activity have a very strong commitment to service in pursuit of helping others. No doubt about it.

activity (or work for many) of rescuer, has a lifetime risk inherent to see us often engaged in hostile terrain and diverse dangers undoubtedly jeopardize our lives in the vast majority of missions. Be rescuer and be summoned to an emergency, means having physical skills, psychological techniques and unusual, to perform a specific task that just anyone can not know or do.
Only a person who engages in this activity and is out of his mind, may not recognize the potential hazards underlying any rescue mission. Whatever the activity (height rescue, underwater, marine, hazardous materials, etc.), All missions in greater or lesser extent share a common variable: The danger of losing his life. This danger has many facets within a mission, which can range from small, temporary or permanent injury and death undoubtedly the last of the cases.

Rescuers prepare us anyway to not only live with all these dangers, but to minimize these variables during a mission. Variables, which are not always within our reach to be 100% controlled.
Going to an emergency, gets the better of us and tests our expertise, knowledge and experience in the field of rescue during each mission. But speaking of variables: what happens when a known factor and lethal, but difficult to handle (in this case nuclear radiation), is in our theater of operations?

The case of Fukushima, Japan

Many, especially Experts in hazardous materials (HazMat ), will give lecture on personal protection and operation in environments with radiation exposure. But the truth is that radiation levels that no human being can tolerate (even equipped for that matter) and reduced exposure times to infer in our body in a lethal short, medium or long term. Today

read an article in Peopledaily ¨ ¨ (China) on the nearly 50 employees and 130 volunteers who are desperately trying to cool the reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant. These true heroes (including engineers, technicians, firefighters, soldiers and police), according to experts, could lose their lives 70% of them in just two weeks (as reported by various media specialist), given the high levels of radiation detected in the plant. These operators work in shifts of only 20 minutes, after which lie in central units, which guarantees a higher level of protection.

The Ministry of Health of Japan raised from 100 to 250 millisievert the legal limit of radiation exposure you can get each worker, so they can stay longer in the plant. According to the daily · The New York Times ¨, this amount is five times greater than the maximum they are allowed to plant workers in the United States. Depending on the version of the Japanese Government and the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO ) there was a sharp increase in radiation levels in recent days, which was attributed to measurement error. At present, only 50 of the 800 workers (in addition to another 130 volunteers) from the plant are being charged with the dangerous task of trying to cool the reactors uncontrolled Fukushima reported the newspaper El Pais English ¨ ¨. Your task is to pump seawater into the uncontrolled reactor to contain the heating of the cores. To the malfunction of the normal cooling systems (because of the earthquake and tsunami), the 180 workers with only hand pumps for their task.

Willing to die

In an interview with international news network CBS , one of the workers, who said he had "no fear of dying" in its attempt to control the possible escape of radiation because " is their job, "inevitably remind me Kamikaze pilots during the 2nd . World War, which were determined to meet with death. Asked about the reaction, industry experts noted that nuclear is not surprising, but is the result of a mixture of sense of duty, loyalty and sacrifice for the good of the community, Japan.

AFP agency explained that the 4 reactors have overheated and threaten to collapse, causing an accident of incalculable proportions throughout the region, including the capital city of Tokyo.

Japan Prime Minister Naoto Kan, praised the efforts and courage of his countrymen who are in the nuclear plant. "TEPCO workers and the companies involved are working to pour water, to make every effort at the moment, without thinking twice about the danger," he added was quoted by AFP. For his part, Emperor Akihito spoke Fukushima reactor referring to them as "unpredictable" and urged the Japanese people to "Taking care of each other."

Rescue

After this preamble, and information about the picture of the situation in the northern region of Japan, is where I wonder how a rescuer can handle an unpredictable variable exogenous to the technical capabilities an operator and if it is viable or not a rescue by task forces from abroad. I wonder about the professional ethics and sense of duty; but also turn on the truth and the hypocrisy of not recognizing this factor by many rescue groups that have taken a step backwards in its decision to provide assistance.

About this I wonder: Is it wrong? You have to go at any cost? Own life and my men, who value? How many lives can be saved and what will it cost for me and my colleagues? If I survive, what are the consequences? People who rescue you, and are condemned to death by their own exposure to radiation? Worth offer my life in this case?

Bearing in mind that radiation can kill a person in minutes, hours, days, months or years; but surely altering the human body from skin burns to lymphatic cancer, thyroid and congenital diseases, I wonder if you rescue a life should mean losing mine or my personal and inevitably brings me back to an article I wrote last year entitled
"When the duty does not call us ¨.

One thing is certain as a colleague mentioned a few days ago - ¨ When you say NO, it will be the eternal question ...-.


leave open this profound debate controversial, but nonetheless necessary. Facundo García

Inst
Captain / Steering Committee



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