Japanese Fire Fighters tell families "We won't be coming home"

[mikeysnakes]

The CEOs/bosses/shareholders should be cleaning up the mess and not firemen and police

But in that case who's to blame? GE for building a plant on a coast susceptible to Tsunami that can't withstand one or Tepco for letting the plant mostly stay the same since 1970? Besides they hundreds of volunteers to take turns because once they reach the maximum level of radiation exposure they need to be "retired" for a year.

That of course doesn't mean I don't agree with what you're getting at, it's just a little more complicated since it was caused by an unusually large natural disaster.

 

[DRSH1989]

Courage is overrated.

 

[binvjoh]

I wish I was wearing a hat so that I could take it off to honor these brave men who are far better people than I probably ever will be.

 

[binvjoh]

Courage is overrated.

It sure seems easy being brave behind a keyboard, doesn't it?

 

[HerbertTheHamster]

Blowout soon, Stalker-kun.

 

[CrashBang]

In a horrifying way, we in the western world are kind of desensitized from this because it's so far away and that makes me feel heartless and insensitive but this story... I'm actually fighting back tears

 

[nipsen]

It's difficult to see articles like this for me, because all week I've been dealing with people who have read crazy news articles telling me about how dangerous it is, when it just isn't. Not yet at least, and I'm of course hoping it wont ever be.

Mm. Understand how you feel. People manipulating people emotionally over something that isn't actually close to them.. Just makes you feel empty, doesn't it..

The TEPCO thing... didn't they end up in a controversy a couple of years ago after having to shut down a power-plant..? I'm sure there's some suspicion around about whether they would perhaps let the powerplant run rather than shut it down to prevent losing money, etc.. Obviously, don't know how real that is either. ..man. I hate being away from things like this ... >_< ..and that sounded completely wrong..

.. but best of luck to you. Hope things work out.

 

[mikeysnakes]

It's difficult to see articles like this for me, because all week I've been dealing with people who have read crazy news articles telling me about how dangerous it is, when it just isn't. Not yet at least, and I'm of course hoping it wont ever be.

Mm. Understand how you feel. People manipulating people emotionally over something that isn't actually close to them.. Just makes you feel empty, doesn't it..

The TEPCO thing... didn't they end up in a controversy a couple of years ago after having to shut down a power-plant..? I'm sure there's some suspicion around about whether they would perhaps let the powerplant run rather than shut it down to prevent losing money, etc.. Obviously, don't know how real that is either. ..man. I hate being away from things like this ... >_< ..and that sounded completely wrong..

.. but best of luck to you. Hope things work out.

I've heard about a nuclear situation in Ibaraki in 1999 but don't really know more than the fact that it was a "level 4", but I would imagine that was a part of it.

I mean I understand how journalism works, but Fukushima is my Connecticut (the Prefecture north of me) so when slightly freaking out about whether or not I was far enough away it was difficult to deal with seeing and having friends and family sending some bat-shit crazy articles. Also the fact that some of them are a little too ready to make it seem like there's a crisis in Tokyo (which is further than I am) didn't help much when I was trying to tell people that I'm safe and 0.15 micro sieverts per hour is a perfectly normal level for background radiation.

And thanks, I'm hoping it works out, the fact nothing went wrong in the past few days is a good enough sign.

 

[Manji187]

All the investments in robotics...and still men have to lay down their lives.

I don't mean to detract...these men are heroes. But I'm sure they would've preferred to live.

 

[Kadoodle]

As I understand it spraying the thing with water is only a very temporary solution. They need to actually fix the thing before it blows, but from what I have been hearing that may not be possible.

If they were going into the plant to fix the problem that would be worth dying for, but spraying the thing with water isn't worth their lives. This has been going on for a while now, how many firefighters need to get hit with radiation before they let the thing blow or fix the problem? Dying in order to save people is noble, throwing your life away in order to buy another few days.. meh. At this point anyone who wanted to get out of the blast radious could have done so. It's tragic to think that they may have to let it blow, but let's be honest, Japan can handle a nuke going off inside it's borders.

A very valid point, but foolish as it may be, they're still brave, and have got some serious balls.

 

[Duck Sandwich]

They're sacrificing for a cause knowing that it takes more than they can give, but they still give everything they have. That is the epitome of bravery.

 

[nipsen]

didn't help much when I was trying to tell people that I'm safe and 0.15 micro sieverts per hour is a perfectly normal level for background radiation.

yeah. "The sun is killing everyone with deadly radiation rays!!! More at 11..".

 

[JWAN]

cant they outfit a vehicle with a hose and pump system that has NBC protection?

 

[JWAN]

This is a massively courageous thing of them to do, but is there honestly no safer way to do it?

if there was a safer way do you think they would be doing this??? Not to be mean but there is no "safe" way to deal with what has happened

OK we get it, you're very clever. The sarcasm wasn't needed you know, I was just wondering why helicopters and all the stuff they use for forest fires wasn't useful. Of course they'll have thought it through, I'm just surprised that considering how 'safe' nuclear power is that this is literally the only option. I figured we'd have some kind of plan for this.

Most armored vehicles these days has something called N.B.C. protection (nuclear, biological, chemical). I have no idea why not one country can supply one vehicle with a pump and hose baylayer to pump seawater onto that reactor site.
Russia/United States/China are both right there in the region and I'm sure the Japanese have trained using all of those systems.

 

[Shinotama]

Good luck to them all

 

[Aesir23]

Wow, such bravery and sacrifice is truly inspirational. I hope that they somehow, miraculously, do get to see their families again and that they're never forgotten.

 

[Duol]

What a bullshit article.
Radiation levels are high around the plant every now and again, but even then "high" is a relative term. High, compared to what?
Official information is scarce, presumably because the situation is constantly changing but nothing I have read suggests that this is true.

Just another bunch of journalist wackos quoting out of context and stitching lines together to get more page hits.

It's not the bankers CEO's or the energy industry that's destroying the world.
If anything it's shit, sensationalist journalism.