Search and rescue mission in cave Tham Luang – Thailand 2018

Czech firefighters in Thailand

Close attention was paid to the large-scale search and rescue mission at the turn of June and July of this year in the Tham Luang cave in northern Thailand, which was flooded by torrential rains. A total of twelve boys and their football coach were trapped inside. The Czech Republic also actively participated in the aid and, as the only member state of the European Union, offered help in the form of deploying a reconnaissance group - firefighter experts. In the initial phase, the Czech Republic came with an offer of high-capacity pumps, and it was these Czech firefighters who were to verify the possibility of their use in the location.

Minister of the Interior and Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Jan Hamáček, in agreement with the Director General of the FRS of the Czech Republic, Maj. Gen. Ing. Drahoslav Ryba decided to deploy two members of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic, they flew to Thailand on Friday 6 July 2018.

The MoI-DG FRS CR unit, composed of David Kareš and Petr Vodička, worked in Thailand from 6 to 11 July 2018 to assess the situation. On Saturday 7 July 7 in the afternoon, the two experienced Czech firefighters started their activities on site, during which they participated in informative meetings with representatives of local authorities (Governor of Chiang Rai Province, King's Guard...) and then practically explored the possibilities of using pumps that were offered to the Thai side at the initial stage of the operation. Czech experts ruled out the possibility of deploying high-capacity pumps, due to the unsuitable terrain profile and ongoing successful water pumping. Subsequently, after consultation with the management of the DG FRS CR, they offered the Thai side a smaller type of high-performance sludge pumps along with the necessary equipment, which would be operated by a team of firefighters and divers. Such a team with pumps could be on site within 48 hours. The Czech firefighters subsequently joined the negotiations with the management of the team responsible for pumping out the water, they discussed the possibilities of optimal pumping from the back of the cave with the use of appropriately selected electrical wiring.

In the following hours, the decision was made to start rescuing the boys from the cave and to transport them to the hospital, during which time the Czech side was asked to remain on standby until our help in the form of sludge pumps with the team would be requested.

The Czech firefighters were checking the options for the transport of material from the airport, the transport capacity on site and the security of the team. At the same time, they monitored developments, continued the successful evacuation of the boys from the cave, and consulted the water pumping with the local rescue team.

Vzhledem k pozitivnímu vývoji situace a úspěšnému dokončení akce – vyproštění poslední osoby z jeskyně –  mohli čeští hasiči v úterý v noci odletět zpět do České republiky.

Thajsko nakonec českou nabídku pomoci nevyužilo. Ze závěrů zastupitelského úřadu vyplývá, že pokud by byla Česká republika o pomoc požádána, znamenalo by to krizový scénář, tzn. dosavadní způsob odčerpávání vody ze zadní části jeskyně by nefungoval, přívalové monzunové deště by celou situace ještě zhoršily a došlo by tedy k přerušení evakuace zbývajících chlapců a trenéra z jeskyně.

Na základě vyhodnocení zahraniční akce rekognoskační skupiny bude navrženo praktické ověření navrženého technického řešení tak, aby bylo možno v obdobných situacích efektivně nasadit jednotky HZS ČR. Bude zpracován návrh na doplnění modulu pro velkokapacitní čerpání o možnost čerpání z rozsáhlých a obtížně přístupných prostor – jeskynní systémy, kolektorové systémy, zatrubněné vodní toky apod.

Na velmi dobré úrovni probíhala komunikace s vedoucím zastupitelského úřadu v Bangkoku  s Ing. Markem Libřickým a jeho zástupcem Mgr. Alešem Vytečkou a prostřednictvím nich dále i s místními úřady. Zástupce thajského ministerstva zahraničních věcí Raschada Jiwalai velice ocenil snahu českého státu o poskytnutí mezinárodní pomoci, zejména vyzdvihl nabídku vysoce kvalitních čerpadel a možnost jejich dodání do 48 hodin.

Autoři: plk. Ing. David Kareš – Záchranný útvar HZS ČR a ppor. Mgr. Petr Vodička – HZS hl. m. Prahy

Foto: autoři + Mgr. Aleš Vytečka, MZV