THE first gas pipe explosion emergency and evacuation drill in Subang Jaya gave residents a renewed sense of security and identified key areas for improvement in the disaster plan.
About 50 community leaders and neighbourhood representatives from SS19 attended the exercise.
Multiple agencies were involved, including Petronas Gas, the Selangor District Office, the Social Welfare Department, the Public Works Department, Subang Jaya City Council, the Drainage and Irrigation Department, the Fire and Rescue Department, the Malaysian Highway Authority and the police.
Subang Jaya assemblyman Michelle Ng (pic) said the drill was conducted in a densely populated residential area near a gas pipeline to prepare residents and agencies for a potential explosion.
“A real-life search and rescue simulation was carried out to mimic an actual scenario,” she said.
“About 20 residents also participated in a role-play session, some acting as persons with disabilities and others as distressed victims, to better gauge agencies’ responses to different emergencies,” she added.
“The residents’ feedback was positive, and they felt a stronger sense of security after the exercise,” she said.
Ng said the drill also measured agencies’ response times, which were satisfactory.
She said some factors were not covered in the scenario.
“For example, the drill did not expose the team to managing and keeping the media safe, or the procedure if the incident happened on a public holiday when a health clinic is closed,” she said.
She said the exercise helped add a component to Subang Jaya City Council’s existing disaster playbook to fine-tune safety and emergency procedures.
“Several areas needing improvement were identified, and the various agencies will refine these processes,” she said.
“A second drill may be considered once these procedures are fully refined,” she added.
She said her office also arranged briefings with Petronas Gas for affected homeowners along the gas pipeline in Subang Jaya before the exercise.
