HCM CITY — The international Fire Safety & Rescue Vietnam – Secutech Vietnam 2018 exhibition on fire security and smart-building technologies opened on Thursday in HCM City.

The three-day exhibition showcases advanced technologies and solutions such as sensors, fire fighting gear and transportation, VR (virtual reality) systems for training, as well as security services for shops, security systems for buildings, surveillance cameras and electric locks.

It features 530 booths of 300 businesses from 20 countries, including Việt Nam, South Korea, India, China, the UK and the US.

Security systems for smart homes such as fingerprints, facial recognition software and voice-controlled systems are also being featured, as well as smart wireless fire alarm systems that can notify users through phones.

Bùi Thị Thanh An, deputy head of the Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said: “The exhibition offers a great opportunity for suppliers and manufacturers of security systems to promote their products and network with potential partners.”

New technologies

At a one-day conference on 4.0 technology and fire rescue and police work held on Thursday in connection with the exhibition, Sr Col Lê Quang Hải, deputy principal of Đồng Nai Province’s University of Fire Fighting and Prevention, said the human factor was crucial for any technological revolution, as users must fully understand 4.0 technologies and educators must prepare practical curricula to produce capable graduates.

He said his university had been training teachers to ensure they can deal with practical, real life experiences.   

Also speaking at the conference, a representative from the Korea Fire Institute said that fire alarms capable of directly notifying authorities could be useful, especially for people living alone, while VR systems would be helpful in simulated training.

He said the institute was also working on robots to aid rescue missions in dangerous situations.

A representative from the US-based UL LLC, a global safety consulting and certification company, said that fire drones could be used to put out fires in high-rises.

A Vietnamese company, Informatics Commerce Technology and Consultancy Co. Ltd, said that it was working on a system that tracks trapped civilians in buildings to aid in fire evacuation.

In the first six months of the year, Việt Nam saw over 2,000 fires with 63 casualties, 133 injuries and around 1.3 trillion worth of property damage, according to the Ministry of Public Security’s Fire Prevention, Fighting and Rescue Police Department.

The exhibition was organised by the Việt Nam Advertisement and Fair Exhibition Joint-Stock Company and Messe Frankfurt New Era Business Media, along with the Fire Prevention, Fighting and Rescue Police Department, and related departments. — VNS