Derrick Harvey is a sales representative for WFR for the Vancouver Island and Lower Mainland area. He is currently on a leave of absence to work in Cambodia as a training officer for the Phnom Penh Municipal Fire Brigade.

Its another hot, humid night in Phnom Penh, a city of almost 2 million souls, only 8 degrees north of the equator. It's the dry season here and has not rained appreciably for at least three months. The dust is thick during the day and lingers in the air at night. It's about 8 p.m. and traffic is still heavy on the streets as the population leave the stifling heat of the houses to sit on the streets and talk with neighbours or to eat.

Without warning, automatic small arms fire is heard and is continuous, most people look knowingly at each other and continue with their business at hand. The local population know that the shooting is a notification to police and fire alike that a fire is happening and the fire department is needed. This apparent "off the wall" 911 system is more reliable than the local phone system which seems to "die" after about 6 p.m. Eventually, the message is relayed to the one and only fire hall in the city and if there are enough firefighters on duty, a truck is sent to find the fire and "do what they can". After a brutal delay, the fire truck will arrive, do a size up and then ask for the homeowner. Once he is located, a demand for money is made by the firefighters. If the money is paid, the remnants of turnout gear are put on, the four lengths of hose (80 metres) are attached to the truck, a nozzle (straight stream only) is attached and without the benefit of boots, gloves, helmets or BA, a team of three will attempt to beat down the flames with a haphazard approach that seldom works. Meanwhile, perhaps a thousand people attracted by the commotion have encroached to within metres of the incident blocking access to the truck, and any escape routes for the firefighters. Should a wall collapse, many injuries would result. Once the 4,000 litres of water is expended, the hose is rolled up, put back on the truck and then the truck is driven to one of the 16 working hydrants in the city (only two after 6 p.m., as the pumping station shuts down at that time.) or proceeds to the Mekong River to draft very muddy water. There is no radio system to call in extra trucks or manpower.

Meanwhile, access to the fire scene has been further compromised by more onlookers and curiosity seekers.

What I have described is what the dedicated members of the Phnom Penh Municipal Fire Brigade face every day. They are professional or full-time members and should be paid the standard government rate of $20.00 US a month. None of them have been paid for six months. There is no budget to buy gear -- NO BUDGET! The trucks they are using were a gift from Hiroshima, Japan and have seen better days. There are no ladders, a total of about 35-20 metre lengths of single jacket hose with the quick connect couplings wired on. There are NO breathing apparatus. The men use US army surplus rebreathing canisters that have been used hundreds of times and are broken, ineffective and probably contribute to breathing difficulties. Turnout gear is on the vehicles, but the snaps are gone, its a foil coated cotton material, with no fasteners, the pants have no fly and the suspenders have long stopped suspending anything. Helmets are a motley collection of plastic construction helmets. Boots are unheard of, instead thongs are the order of the day for footwear. In spite of this the men are dedicated and eager to learn about modern methods of fire suppression. As you read this article, there are 14 officers and senior firefighters attending a WFR sponsored course in the IFSTA essentials of firefighting. The course will be taught over the next 10 months, two days a week, until the curriculum has been covered.

It will be difficult for most of you to comprehend the obstacles that the firefighters here have to put up with to do the job they need to do. The next time your pager goes off, say a little prayer for yourselves and your soul mates in Phnom Penh.

-Derrick Harvey -Spring, 1997

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