Great Experience: Learning How to Save your Life

Last Wednesday is my first class of Study on Japanese Companies and Industries and we visited Ikebukuro. After we arrive at Ikebukuro Bosaikan (Ikebukuro Life Safety Learning Center), the students in SLJCI class is divided into two groups. Then each group will go to some posts around Ikebukuro Bosaikan to learn about safety learning. So, actually this is a place where we can learn how to save ourselves when there is accidental event happened and natural disaster happened (especially earthquake).

The first zone for my group is “How to save yourself in smoke when there is fire comes”. Before we do the simulation, the officer taught us by seeing the video. From this post I learn a lot the way to save in smoke. The most important when there is smoke because of fire “kaji” in Japanese is we may not be panic. When the alarm of fire ring.,.we have to try search masker/handkerchief/towel or something made of cloth that can close our nose and mouth to prevent smoke inhalation in our respiration tract since it is toxic and very dangerous for our life. Smoke from fire can contain CO which can decrease our blood ability to bind with oxygen and cause cyanosis/hypoxia. Besides that, fire needs oxygen to flame…that’s why fire comes mean the oxygen around us will be decreased and also the particle of residue caused by stuffs around us also can make our life threatened. After we close our nose and mouth with handkerchief, we have to try searching the exit way from the building or room. The speed of smoke will be faster than our walk, but we may not use elevator because it would be more risky so just use the stair. And it would be better when we walking to try for escape is not by standing straight, but by stooping to prevent more smoke inhaled and easier for our sight. After giving the explanation, each of us in group enter the smoke maze for the simulation. In that smoke maze, we have to search the way to escape from smoke when we are trapped in rooms full of smoke. Another thing that is important if you try to escape from the smoke in group is you have to be care with your friends too and must know how many people that go together with you to assure that everybody are saved.

The second zone and the third zone is about earthquake. First, we see the video about big East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami that happened in 11^th March 2011 around 2 years ago. That big earthquake really affect everything in chaos, there were many victims, damage infrastructure, bad impacts in people safety and economics and also caused other disaster comes (like fire, flooding, etc). Earthquake can be happened because the movement of continental plate and also ocean plate. Tsunami can happened because when the plate between continental and ocean move, it can cause the elevating of sea wave and surface suddenly which later on bringing a big energy inside the seawater to the land.

After seeing the video, we do simulation “How to save yourself when earthquake comes”. In this case, there is simulation chairs that can simulate when the earthquake comes and the strength of the earthquake also can be measured. Each of us will experience 7 SR earthquake and try to save ourself. The first step that is important when the earthquake come is searching for something that can protect our head crash with any hard stuffs that can fall when there is earthquake. And after that, you can hide under the table to protect yourself. I think the simulation really feels like real and frightening enough. In my home country, Indonesia, I ever experience some earthquakes too…but I never experience this big and this long like in this simulation. That is why I can learn a lot from this simulation.

What I know, earthquake is really often occurs in Japan because it is located around many earth plates, just like my country. But, what I learn a lot is that Japanese is really concerned about this problem. When they face this problem, they always try preparing everything to prevent more damage caused by the disaster. Their experience in earthquake around 1900’s and 1990’s make Japanese can develop many technology, especially to make building earthquake-resistance. Besides infrastructure, Japan looks really prepare people to be ready when the disaster like Tsunami and earthquakes come. The government provides many information and also train people how to save theirselves when the disaster come. The way Japanese prepares everything for their own safety and still caring about the others (by volunteering etc) when disaster come really touch my heart. No wonder, at the last earthquake it looks like easy for them to face and return normal again after disaster comes. My country is also risk of this kind of disaster, but the preparation is not this much. That is why, as Indonesian I learn a lot from this and one day I hope the system in my country will be as good as here, in Japan

And the last zone is we learned "How to extinguish the fire by using fire extinguisher". It is also my first time using it in my life, usually most of people only often seeing it without knowing how to use it. So, there are 3 common steps to use the fire extinguisher. The first one when you see there is a fire, in Japan you have to shout ‘Kajida” which mean “Fire” so you can ask people for help. After that just take the fire extinguisher and hold it on the bottom lever. pulling out the knot, and at the last just press the lever and there will be chemicals go outside from it to extinguish the fire. By using this portable fire extinguisher, we can only use it for 22 seconds. So, if the fire is too big, it’s better to call the fireman…because extinguish big fire by ourself will be dangerous enough.

So, that is everything I learn in Ikebukuro Life Safety Learning center. And it would be much better if all the country, including my country, can take example from Japan and prepare people to face disaster. And what we may not forget besides all of that is we should also call emergency phone number when there is emergency happened, in Japan it would be 119. It is a kind of useful to learn about these all. 

Visiting Ikebukuro today is really a great experience for me. This is my first time doing the simulation how to save ourselves when there is earthquake and there is a fire. Although in my home country sometimes earthquake happened, not many simulation like this are done. It is also my first time to use and practice how to use the fire extinguisher which is very useful. I got many new knowledge and experience. So I really recommend if you have time or opportunity just try it on and visit Ikebukuro Bosaikan ^^ so you can learn and experience many things. Besides that I also like it because the mascot of this place is "Cute Elephant" remind me of my home university "ITB-Ganesha". If you wanna see the information about this place, just visit http://www.tfd.metro.tokyo.jp/hp-ikbskan/index.html (this website also the source of  all my pictures here, except the first one)