community-based disaster risk management and the media media kit

Lao PDR
CASE STUDY 1
chapter 5. country CBDRM case studies
Reducing Fire Threats to Homes: Piloting Communitybased
Fire Risk Assessment in Ban Hatsady Village
Fires cause the greatest loss of life and property in the
urban areas of Lao PDR. In response to the challenge,
the government initiated the Lao PDR Urban Disaster
Mitigation Project (LUDMP) in July 2002. It is composed of
3 organizations: the National Disaster Management Offi ce
(NDMO), the Urban Research Institute (URI), and the Fire
Prevention and Protection Police Department (FPPPD).
Each of these LUDMP partners has specifi c roles in
the LUDMP program activities. The LUDMP focuses on
incorporating risk management and hazard mitigation
into development planning of urban areas with the city of
Vientiane as pilot.
As the center of both national and municipal government
administration, the capital city of Vientiane is experiencing
construction boom and it is specifi cally susceptible to the
recurring problem of fi res. Dense building concentrations,
narrow roads, fl ammable building materials, aging water
supply and electrical system, as well as the lack of
resources to upgrade preparedness and response skills
have resulted in a growing risk of large scale, multiple
structure fi res.
LUDMP initiated activities to reduce fi re disaster
vulnerability of population, infrastructure and economic
assets in Vientiane and other cities and other urban
communities of Lao PDR. It brought together community
members and government agencies at the local level to
prepare the ground for a joint development of fi re protection
initiatives.
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