Ho Chi Minh City: Improving fire prevention and fighting skills for religious establishments

Photo caption — Ho Chi Minh City improves fire prevention and fighting skills for religious establishments.

At Kim Son Pagoda (Duc Nhuan Ward), one of the facilities of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Ho Chi Minh City, the atmosphere is always warm not only because of incense smoke but also because of the warmth from charity kitchens. On full moon and new moon days or major holidays, thousands of meals are prepared, which means the demand for electricity and heat increases. This is when concerns about fire safety are put first.

To solve the problem of large-scale cooking, Kim Son Pagoda has implemented a solution using a hot steam cooking system. Buddhist nun Thich Nu Le Thuan, abbot of Kim Son Pagoda, said that this system brings outstanding safety and convenience: “We cook the lower part with small firewood, and the upper part is completely hot steam. Water is supplied automatically, with a thermometer, when boiling it will be led through pipes to the cooking pots, there is absolutely no direct fire so it is much safer. Firewood is also only needed in small amounts, and there is an alarm when the temperature is high, so I feel very secure.”

Not only investing in equipment, the abbot also strictly enforces fire prevention regulations in the temple, stemming from his responsibility for human life and the safety of the surrounding people.

Venerable Thich Nu Le Thuan said: “Because the three sides of the pagoda are adjacent to residential houses, I always put fire prevention and fighting first. The consequences of an incident are unpredictable, affecting lives, property and even the law. Therefore, I have a firm rule that nuns are not allowed to cook, even using electric kettles or irons in their private rooms. All eating and drinking activities are concentrated in the kitchen. Anyone who violates this rule, I will expel them (from the nuns' collective - PV). That is an unchangeable rule.”

Every year, the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department of Ho Chi Minh City Police (Zone 17) regularly organizes training sessions for monks, nuns, and Buddhists at Kim Son Pagoda. This has become an indispensable annual activity, because every year the pagoda has changes in personnel, new people come, old people go. Therefore, knowledge must be continuously enriched.

In a recent training session, police officers gave detailed instructions on how to identify different types of fire extinguishers, how to use them, and how to handle fire situations and how to escape safely.

Holding the fire extinguisher she had just practiced with, Nun Hanh Tam happily shared her feelings: “This practice session was very useful. Looking at the instructors and the girls practicing, it seemed easy. The most important thing is probably to stay calm to handle the situation. Classes like this make me more confident, so that if an incident happens in the future, I will know how to stay calm and handle it.”

According to Colonel Tran Van Hieu, Head of the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department of Ho Chi Minh City Police, this work is not only a responsibility but also a close coordination: "For religious establishments and places of worship in the area, we always coordinate to both inspect and provide direct guidance. We organize practice and equip fire prevention and fighting skills right at the facility. In addition, not only do we propagate to monks, nuns, and Buddhists, we also integrate propaganda skills for people who attend ceremonies at these establishments."

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/van-de-quan-tam/tp-ho-chi-minh-nang-cao-ky-nang-phong-chay-chua-chay-cho-cac-co-so-ton-giao-20251007102302480.htm