Effective mechanism to stop recurrence of industrial disasters stressed

German Ambassador Albrecht Conze Wednesday stressed the need for effective disaster management mechanism in Bangladesh to stop recurrence of further industrial disasters like Tazreen and Rana Plaza.
"Disasters will always occur, but their amplitude can often be reduced by quick reaction on the basis of sound preparedness", he said at a press conference held in the city where the returnees of a Fire Safety Mission comprising of participants from the Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence, Department of Disaster Management (DDM), Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) and the Bangladesh Ministry of Home Affairs from Germany shared their experience.
The press conference was arranged as part of Global Initiative on Disaster Risk Management (GIDRM), a new project implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, on behalf of the German Government.
Earlier on the day, a workshop on establishing community fire brigades had taken place.
The knowledge sharing component of the initiative would quickly benefit Bangladesh's disaster response capacity, the Ambassador said adding "This country has a long history of brave response to disasters. The experience is there. However, Germany may be able to help when it comes to planning, methodology, logistics and the use of state of the art equipment in order to reduce casualties in the future."
The GIDRM has been designed as a network, bringing together multiple stakeholders from developing, emerging and industrialised nations working in public administrations, academia, civil society and the private sector.
For the initial pilot phase, GIDRM is being implemented in eight countries including Bangladesh, India, China, Thailand, Philippines, Myanmar and Indonesia.
In Bangladesh the project aims at promoting fire safety, by providing training aids and sharing skills and knowledge. A mission from the Fire Brigade of the City of Bonn visited Bangladesh in last October which was followed by a similar mission from Bangladesh in November last which included a study tour on fire safety in the industry and risk management in Germany.
Welcoming the GIZ's initiatives to facilitate training for fire fighters, Director General of the Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence, Brigadier Ali Ahmed Khan said professional skills of the highest standards were of the essence for fire fighters in Bangladesh whose capabilities were being closely watched in the wake of recent tragedies.
Country Director of GIZ, Olaf Handloegten said that "Germany has learned that disasters can only be tackled effectively if we combine our efforts and link professional full-time government services with the strengths of professionally trained volunteers from the communities. This is one key prerequisite to strengthen the resilience of a nation. GIZ is pleased to see the German and Bangladeshi Fire Services work hand in hand towards a better response preparedness."