6:25 PM
The news article online dated 26 January 2011 was about a stimulated terror attack at Resorts World. Singapore authorities stimulated a terror attack on Tuesday, 25 January to test the emergency preparedness of the Home Team and the security teams from Resorts World Sentosa, one of the Singapore’s newest tourist attractions. This is the first time one of the two Integrated Resorts was participating in such a large scale exercise.
It started with a suspicious package in an auditorium that no one noticed. Soon smoke filled the room and guests were evacuated. Security agencies were alerted and deployed to the scene. “This exercise serves as a reminder of Singapore’s ongoing battle against terrorism which can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere,” Minister, Lim Swee Say said.
People do not really care about a terrorist stimulation; they often behave in this manner. I saw a terrorist attack, I know that it was not real; you knew that it was not real and both of us will be smiling. However, what will happen if it is a real terrorist attack that takes place? In Singapore, we are fighting a war, fighting a battle against global terrorism.
This is why schools held fire drills to train students to react fast when an emergency happens. During a crisis, the first responder at the scene is very important because lives can be saved if the first responder knows how to react promptly, calmly and confidently. Hence, we should always take these drills seriously so that we will know what to do when the real thing happens.
