Self-study and classroom lessons based on newspaper feature stories

This column is for self-study or classroom use and gives guided help with reading the wide variety of writing styles and topics that appear as feature articles in the Bangkok Post. The lessons include background information, skill-building practice and vocabulary explanations.

March 18, 2003

Will we be safe down there?

INTRODUCTION

Last week, feature focus was based on the first part of a story about the construction and running of the Bangkok subway scheduled to open in April 2004. Another article about the safety features of the subway accompanied that. That’s the article for you to read today.

Many people are concerned about safety. After all, we are not used to being underground. Also, Bangkok is build on the delta of the Chao Phraya River, so flooding is a problem every year. Then we were all horrified by last month’s fire in a subway in Korea. Bangkokians were naturally fearful that the same thing could happen here.

So it’s not surprising that Outlook wanted to do a story and that the Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA) wanted a chance to reassure the public. That’s the purpose of today’s article.

As you read, you may be impressed with the safety precautions built into the system. But you should also think if you have other concerns that are not answered in the story. The story may also raise questions in your mind that you might not have thought of otherwise.
Getting the facts

The article deals with four areas of danger. Those are listed below. There are two subtopics under fire protection because toxic fumes (poisonous smoke and gasses) and smoke inhalation (breathing in) are two different dangers that arise during a fire.

On a separate sheet of paper, list the topics below and beside each write the safety precautions mentioned in the story. Try to use your own words. If you have unanswered questions, write those down too.

Protection against fire

Prevention of toxic fumes
Precautions against smoke inhalation

Plans for evacuation (getting people out)
Plans in case of a power failure
Flood prevention
WORD BUILDING

Here are the definitions of four fire-related words that are important in this and other stories about fire. As you read, find the words to match the meanings.

………………………… will not burn or be damaged by fire

………………………… will not burn or be damaged except at very high temperatures

………………………… able to begin burning easily

………………………… devices that set off an alarm when smoke or heat is present
Getting the message out

What about follow-up? The articles we have looked at last week and today serve to start people thinking about using the subway. Obviously, having safety measures in place is important, but people also need to know about them. They also need to know how to use them to protect themselves.

Suppose it is your job to prepare information for your fellow students and for the public about the safety measures. What means can you use: television and radio messages, pamphlets to be handed out, newspapers advertorials (advertisements that give a lot of information), for example?

Work in small groups in your class. Each group should choose one topic from the list above: fire, evacuation, power failure or flooding. Also choose a type of communication, pamphlets, for example. What information will you include? What illustration will you add? How will you make it attractive and easy to understand? Will your project be for adults, for students, for children? How will you appeal to the age group you choose?

Note: The Internet is a good source of information about the subway. There are sites with drawings and details. Use them to help you with your own project, but remember to write everything in your own words.

The subway opening is 13 months away. That time will go very quickly. Will you be ready? Will the general public be ready? Will we all be safe?

OUR STORY FROM THE BANGKOK POST

Bangkok’s subway — questions of security

What kind of standards have been in place while work like this was going under Bangkok streets? How safe will our new subway be?— JETJARAS NA RANONG

SOME VOCABULARY HELP

a host of
a large number of

regulate
to control by means of rules

emit
to send out something such as light, heat, sound, gas

ceramic
made of clay that has been permanently hardened by heat

detect
to discover or notice

ventilation
providing for the movement of air

clearance
space between two objects

intervention
a way of become involved in a situation in order to improve or help it

shaft
a long, narrow, usually vertical passage in a building or underground

contingency plans
preparations made ready for events that may or may not happen

take into account
to consider (facts and conditions) when making a decision

penetrate
to go through

accumulation
an amount gathered over a period of time

sump
a hole in which liquid waste collects

subsidence
the process by which an area of land sinks to a lower level than normal
A recent fire in a subway in Korea killed at least 189 people. Questions suddenly pop up in Bangkok. We have never had an underground train. How safe will our new subway system be?

Chukiat Photayanuvat, the Mass Rapid Transit Authority's (MRTA) director of construction, is confident.

"One advantage of having a subway 30 years after other countries is that we can use their systems as a guide. What we find good, we add to our system. Weak points are crossed out."

According to Chukiat, the Bangkok subway system meets a host of international safety standards, including the British Standard (BS) on construction materials and the requirements of the National Fire Protection Association, which regulates fire protection measures of the Police Fire Brigade.

Regulations in Bangkok required every material used in the underground system to be fire-resistant. Fireproof materials are preferred, but if they are not available the replacements must be able to withstand fire for at least two hours — and in any case must not emit toxic fumes like those that killed the majority of the Korean victims.

An example of such material is ceramic tiles. "They can catch fire, but only when the temperature hits 1,000 degree Celcius," said Mr Chukiat.

Stations are equipped with water sprinklers and fire extinguishers. Sprinklers are placed everywhere, even under the escalator steps. Smoke and heat detectors are installed inside the stations and along tunnels so station managers will get quick warning of any emergency.

One 200-tonne water tank sits in each station in case of fire. If that isn't enough to extinguish a possible fire, water pipes can get water directly from the Metropolitan Water Authority.

Another fire concern is choking on smoke or fumes. The subway has a ventilation and airflow system which can control which way smoke blows. In a fire, smoke will be blown one way, while people evacuated in another. Fresh air can be pumped into the station to give passengers enough air to breathe while they escape.

And what if a fire breaks out while the train is in the tunnel? Mr Chukiat rates this as unlikely because trains and seats are made of stainless steel, and are not easily combustible. Still, he said the authority will be able to handle that eventuality too.

There are no water sprinklers inside the train but there are fire extinguishers which passengers and crew can use in case of fire.

Pradit Pulputtapong, an MRTA senior engineer, said the trains can be opened from front and rear to allow evacuation in case of fire or other mishap. There are emergency buttons next to each door which can be pushed to force the door to open.

Engineers designed tunnels with a 0.6-metre clearance to allow passengers to walk to the next station or to intervention shafts between stations. Such shafts are between the furthest-apart stations, and have a straight-up exit to ground level.

Bottom line: Mr Chukiat says equipment and contingency plans mean passengers could be brought out of emergencies to safety spots within six minutes.

Fire is not the only hazard. The trains run on electricity, and there must be backup measures in case of black-out.

Mr Chukiat said the system draws electricity from two separate sources, so that if power fails in one, the second will kick in and the system can still operate. If both fail, diesel generators can provide electricity for one to three hours.

Bangkok is low-lying and notoriously prone to floods. Water is a potential hazard ranking right up there with fire.

To prevent flooding, the entrance to each station is one metre higher than the road just outside. There are also "stop logs" to block water at dams. These can be lifted up to two metres above the entrance in case of heavy floods — meaning the subway entrance can hold back a three-metre flood from the streets up there.

"The system is designed to prevent water from entering the station, and we took the highest flood levels in Bangkok history into account," said Mr Chukiat.

Underground water is not a problem — because the tunnels are located under it. There is a slim chance that underground water could penetrate the 30-cm concrete wall of the tunnels. But the ground in each station is designed in a V-shape, providing a well for water accumulation. A sump at the bottom of each well could take water out of the station.

Soil subsidence and uplifting are not a problem.

"The tunnels lie underground," explained Mr Chukiat. "If the ground rises or falls, the tunnels would move up and down with it."

•This lesson was prepared by Maureen Paetkau, a professional teacher of English as a second and foreign language and Assistant Manager and Webmaster for Learning Post at the Bangkok Post.

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