Sunday June 18, 2006

The Bangkok Post

PERSPECTIVE

Kanathat to the Rescue

Fighting the fires on the outside and those within, FARA Thailand founder Kanathat Chantrsiri is on a mission to make this a safer and more morally-conscious nation

SIRIPORN  SACHAMUNEEWONGSE

At FARA (Fire and Rescue Association), ordinary men and women of all ages are transformed into lifesavers or rescuers. For an annual membership fee of just 300 baht for adults and 100 baht for children, or a lifetime membership fee of 3,000 baht, FARA members can enroll in the courses offered at the association and be transformed.

Among the association's offerings are a basic fire and rescue training course for adults, a Young Fire Fighters or Young Emergency Response Team (ERT) programme for children and a safety measures project for the disabled.

"Membership is not for profit _ and any individual who would like to become a member at FARA can easily join. We do not have any limits on age, gender, nationality or race," says

Kanathat Chantrsiri, the CEO of the organisation.

Today, 52 full-time members and 112 advisers make up the fire and rescue organisation that has won national and international praise.

Credit goes mostly to Kanathat, the sole founder of FARA, and a man with a pledge to save the world through harmony and compassion.

Better known as Acharn Tom or Uncle Tom, Kanathat has dedicated the past 30 years to this wish to make the world a safer and better place.

"FARA is financed completely by donations and voluntary funds, no other sources," says Kanathat. "Many officials would like to contribute to FARA but we simply can't take the money."

He explains, "At FARA we're about saving lives, which is a sacred deed. Only people who are gifted with virtuousness are able to handle the job of saving lives. The keenness, the generosity has to be within the person, that's why a voluntary approach is better."

"If one pair of eyes

are capable of

making

a difference,

then it is

certainly worth it."

He hopes to extinguish

the

inner fires

of greed,

anger

and

ignorance,

 which he says

 will save them

from

misery.

Moral Enlightenment

Interestingly, it was a 1985 trip to Japan that awoke his conscience and first stirred his hopes to make Thailand a safer place.

He recalls, "When I was leaving my room in Tokyo, I was told there was no need to lock the door as Japan is a safe country. It was an interesting point to note. Then, however, another individual insisted that I lock my room since there were Thais and other nationalities that could not be trusted. It was this negative image of Thais that alerted me." Ashamed by this stereotype of his countrymen, he said that he couldn't help but wonder why this perception existed in the first place. "I wanted to change that," he remarked.

"Then, I observed that children in Japanese kindergarten were chanting: 'We Japanese children belong to an island where crops do not grow... Our land is prone to earthquakes, a long history of war and misery; I vow to work hard and earn a good life that will be beneficial for my land'." Seeing this display of discipline and morale alerted him to the differences in how Thai children are raised and trained.

"We teach our children that there is nothing to fear, that our land is fertile and there is an abundance of food, quite the opposite of what Japanese are taught. That's why, probably, there are problems and our society is not as safe as the Japanese kingdom."

Accordingly, it was this realisation that led Kanathat to take up teaching. In his opinion, while it may be impossible to train every man in the society, building up the morale and morals of Thai children is one way to improve society and prevent the current situation from worsening.

By teaching his students to be "patient, valiant, disciplined, nimble, curious, diligent and generous, and to understand the virtue of sacrifice," he hopes to extinguish the inner fires of greed, anger and ignorance, which he says will save them from misery.

He explains that in FARA's Young Fire Fighters programme children are not only taught how to extinguish external fires. "I established FARA because fire is a bitter event that occurs frequently," he says, adding that the most destructive fires _ like greed, anger and ignorance _ often take place within the soul and "are evils that need to be quenched."

Teaching children about such values without a focal point is difficult, he says, but by centering lessons around the mission of rescuers and FARA's messages, they can more easily relate to and realise their duties as people _ to save lives, and ultimately eliminate roots of evil.

In order to teach students this, Tom believes it most important for him to set a good example. He says, "How am I supposed to teach any values by hypocrisy?"

He also raises the point that if you do not set a good example for your society, you are not showing love for the people around you because your actions will ultimately influence them.

It is this love, particularly for his children, that made him abandon his drinking and smoking habits. He especially worried about cancer, drunk driving, and other risks associated with the habits, as well as the chance that his children would view them as ordinary behaviours.

Disaster Prep

Also important, of course, is the organisation's instruction on safety and disaster management techniques, and that these techniques are learned before the actual occurrence of a disaster.

"We have to bring about the awareness before a tragedy occurs, because the problem is that when there is an outbreak of a disaster, be it a fire or an earthquake, it is already too late to preach preventive measures, as man loses his sense of practicality when anxiety and fear take over," he explains.

Kanathat's concern for mankind is also apparent in his work with the disabled and the blind. "Considering their physical weaknesses, the blind and the disabled are most susceptible to fire," he said. "Their disability may restrict them from escaping. If I can acquaint them with techniques to escape from fire or enlighten them about preventive measures to avoid a fire hazard in the first place, it may help them from getting physically injured."

With membership and donated funds serving as the basis for operations, the association's achievements are considerable.

FARA uses modern training methods that maximise efficiency, promise effectiveness, and aim to improve the overall quality of the association's work. The CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement), the Demming Circle (Plan, Do, Check, Act system), the JIT (Just In Time), the 5S (Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardise, Sustain) as well as empowerment are the major training concepts used.

Kanathat has also partnered FARA with organisations in Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia in an effort to share knowledge and further develop his organisation. Rescue trainees at FARA occasionally are given an opportunity to travel abroad on educational trips in order to expand their horizons.

FARA Thailand, has received praise from the National Safety Council of Thailand, as well as from a number of significant members of the international community. However abundant, the compliments seem insufficient in recognising the efforts made by the many members of the organisation, and particularly the dedication of its founder.

Overcoming Obstacles

Like all great accomplishments, FARA's success has not come without sacrifices and hurdles.

Kanathat specifically recalls an incident at one of his organisation's early seminars. While a business had contributed and arranged for FARA's first seminar, they provided only the room for the meeting the second time around.

"It did not take me long to realise that we were running short of money. The harsh truth that hit me then was that no organisation would fund these sessions since there were no direct benefits involved."

His voice deepened as he recalled that before the session, when they were arranging the room, they needed double-sided tape to put up charts for the meeting. "At that time, I remember, I searched my pockets and found a 20-baht note." That was all he had left to purchase the rolls of double-sided tape that would cost 100 baht at least.

"The bitter truth is that people are not likely to contribute to a FARA from which there is nothing for them to gain," he said again. "At that time, I even wondered what would happen to FARA if I died. Would I take it to the grave with me? Who would be the successor?"

However, keen to make a difference, Tom was not ready to surrender to financial obstacles. Over time, he realised that his hope to spread harmony and compassion through the world was one that could be shared with the international community.

"I wanted my message to become an internationally

recognised message, a world heritage.

 National recognition would not be enough."

It was then that Kanathat thought to make a website to help spread the word. While he initially sought the help of technicians, he soon realised this dependence on others was not productive in achieving his own vision.

He began learning web design, and three years later, has a website.

The passing years are also unfortunately taking a toll on his eyesight.

"I am becoming blind now," he admits. All the same, he says he has no regrets. "If one pair of eyes are capable of making a difference, then it is certainly worth it."

He is pleased with the results of all this work. To be able to stand

 in the international arena, safety measures in Thailand have

 improved and FARA Thailand has itself developed, he explains.

"I am glad; it just reminds me that

God is watching over men who wish for wellness."

"At that time, I even wondered what would

happen to FARA if I died. Would I take it to the grave with me? Who would be the successor?"