We rescued an injured person from a collapsed house but we had no stretcher so we used a narrow door we found nearby as a substitute. Using this make-shift strecher, four of us carried the person from the rescue site to a van and loaded him just as he was and then carried him,still on the stretcher, into the hospital lobby. When there is a need. it`s worth using any substitute. I think this is the survival trick in an earthquake disaster.
(Male,aged 22 Nada Ward)

Fire Deperment Advice
On the day of the earthquake, more than one hundred people were carried into the fire station. We did not have enough ambulances to answer all the emergency calls. In the desperate confusion, there were those who transported casualties using doors, handcarts or bicycle trailers. There were many neighbors who had teamed up and carried the injured so they could receive medical attention.
The fire department conducts classes in first aid. After the earthquake, we are not only running resuscitation courses but also treatment of injuries. We hope that as many citizens as possible will come to the courses and learn first aid so they could put it to practice when required. If you pass an assesment test after the course, you will receive a certificate from the Mayor of Kobe.