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Jomtien rescue
workers have busy, but uneventful, Labor Day
Rescuer Wanlop Bunchu said his department is
understaffed, but luckily there were no major incidents on Labor Day.
Urasin Khantaraphan & Surasak Huasoon
Their numbers were few, but, fortunately, so were the number of accidents as
rescue workers patrolled Jomtien Beach on Labor Day.
Rescuer Wanlop Bunchu said providing safety for the large May 1 crowd was
difficult, since the department is understaffed. But frequent loudspeaker
announcements and some luck generally kept people safe.
Officers make frequent loud announcements on beach speakers. It takes away
from the calm, relaxing beach atmosphere, but at least lets people know
about lost children, illegally parked cars and traffic workarounds.
Most problematic are the banana boats providing rides offshore. Minor
accidents - such as capsizing or riders falling off - are common as the
boats are as slippery as, well, bananas. Most times, though, the accidents
are minor.
Wanlop explained that the boats are used only by those 16 and older,
everyone wears life jackets and the rafts are towed only 100 meters
offshore, where most adults can stand or swim when they fall off.
Anything more serious and rescue workers bring the injured to shore and
coordinate transport to local hospitals, he said.
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