Engineer Brigade 299 (also known as Tan Trao Engineer Unit) is a mixed engineering unit of Army Corps 1, tasked with training and combat readiness; building military construction; demining; flood and storm prevention and control, search and rescue; and other ad hoc duties. During its task performance, the Unit manages and exploits a large amount of specialised equipment, vehicles and weapons; uses, contacts, transports and handles various types of explosives, especially bombs, mines, explosive charge, etc., which is highly prone to accidents. Deeply aware of the specificity, difficulties, and challenges of its tasks, the Party Committee and commander of the Brigade have proposed many guidelines and solutions to lead and direct the construction of an all-strong, “exemplary and typical” unit as a basis for successfully completing all assigned tasks. In particular, ensuring safety in training and construction is considered the key working aspect and the breakthrough stage which is regularly and continuously deployed by agencies and units of the Brigade with many drastic and consistent solutions. Over the past 20 years, the Brigade has always been one of the leading units in the Corps’ emulation movement. The projects built by the Brigade always ensure “confidentiality, safety, quality, progress and cost-effectiveness”, which are highly appreciated by the Corps and project management units. In 2021, the Brigade won the First prize in the Army-wide engineering contest, and the Second prize in the “Democracy, discipline, safety” unit contest.

A training course in the river

Those results were attributed to, first of all, the Brigade’s leadership and direction for the work of safety assurance, considering this as the primary determinant to the overall achievements of the Unit. On the basis of thoroughly grasping higher echelons’ directives and instructions on safety compliance in training and construction, and properly assessing the situation and tasks, the Brigade’s Party Committee developed a thematic resolution on safety assurance; directed its agencies and units to include the goals and requirements into their periodical leadership resolutions and develop feasible implementation plans; attached the responsibilities of party committees and commanders at all levels to the maintenance and observance of safety rules. In order make it relevant, the Brigade directs its functional authorities to regularly review, supplement and standardise the system of regulations, rules, and guidelines for safety assurance and apply them throughout the Unit. In addition, the Brigade directs its agencies and units to enhance propaganda and education work to improve their officers and soldiers’ awareness of safety work. As a result, since 2012, the Brigade has constructed over 10 projects, consumed over 20 tons of explosives, tens of thousands of detonators; held 10 river-crossing drills, etc., with absolute safety.

In particular, the Unit's tasks are diverse, complicated, difficult, and arduous, especially the tasks of river-crossing training and tunnel building, because, for these tasks, most of its forces often have to operate on field, work in toxic and dangerous environment with high risk of accidents. Being fully aware of that, the Brigade strictly adheres to safety procedures in each task. Before each task, the Brigade requires its agencies and units to make detailed plans on safety assurance, select people, anticipate measures for handling possible situations, and prepare necessary equipment. In particular, in difficult and complicated, and highly risky tasks, the Brigade selects officers and soldiers with strong political zeal, great expertise and experience, and responsible, scientific and meticulous working style. During their task performance, with the motto of “no training or construction until safety is guaranteed”, its units strictly comply with the safety rules. Officers and commanders at all levels regularly stick to the construction sites and closely follow the troops to instruct, supervise, and promptly detect and correct violations of safety rules. Together with being proactive in forecasting and carefully preparing plans for handling the incidents, the Brigade prepares enough materials and equipment for safety assurance, such as lifebuoys, protective clothing; and launches extensive emulation movements, such as: “Safe machining”, “Safe construction shifts”, “Top secret and quality, safety first”, etc.

Through some incidents in training, drills, and construction in the Military, it is evident that most were caused by troop’s lack of skills in implementing safety measures and improper instruction, inspection and supervision of cadres for soldiers to perform their duties. Therefore, to meet the requirements of tasks, the Brigade attaches special importance to training to improve the levels and skills of implementing safety measures for its troops. Accordingly, for the officers and non-commissioned soldiers, it focuses on training on methods of instruction, inspection, and supervision over troops’ compliance of safety procedures and rules; their ability to predict and recognise signs of incidents and their skills to handle situations arising in training and construction. For soldiers, in addition to training on safety rules according to the plan, it also conducts task-based and scenario-based training. In order to make it highly effective, it directs its functional agencies to develop a system of exercises with anticipated situations arising in the process of training and construction, and hold rotary training so that each soldier firmly grasps their duties, as well as masters the steps in handling situations and troubleshooting. Before each task, the Brigade conducts extra-training, re-training and inspection, until the soldiers thoroughly grasp the safety work. In particular, in the construction of key projects, in addition to theoretical content, the Brigade performs onsite training in shifts in different positions; especially complicated situations arise during task performance. Notably, in 2018, the Brigade developed and issued the "Code for predicting incidents and procedures for handling and relief” with 180 unsafe situations, such as: safety compliance in training, river-crossing drills, construction, demining, etc. With an “open” approach, the document is being supplemented new situations and precautions drawn from practice. Since 2018, more than 500 officers and soldiers of the Brigade have been trained according to the Code. As a result, their ability in forecasting as well as their experience in handling situations have been significantly enhanced, contributing to improving the quality of safety work in all operations of the Brigade.

Moreover, the Brigade directs its agencies and units to strictly adhere to the regulations on inspection, preliminary summary, summary and review. Each agency and unit has a designated officer to inspect and monitor the safety work. Besides, the Brigade forms an inspectorate directly under the Brigade Command; combines regular and sudden inspection of safety assurance work of agencies and units. As for the units that operate independently and remotely, the Brigade requires the commanders of those units to strictly observe the safety rules and report daily by text and images. After inspection, commandant and functional agencies clearly point out the limitations and shortcomings of the units for remediation; standardise all stages and steps to create consistency in all activities, from commanders to soldiers. After each training session, rehearsal, and construction, the Brigade directs the units to conduct summation and review in a serious manner to properly evaluate the strengths and weaknesses in each aspect, each level, and each individual. At the same time, it opportunely carries out commendation for individuals and groups with outstanding achievements in training, drills and construction.

Last but not least, the Brigade always strictly maintains regularity and discipline management at all times, everywhere, especially on the field, construction site, and stationing area; pays attention to improving living standards of its troops both materially and spiritually to make them enthusiastic with work, surmount all difficulties, ready to receive and complete all assigned tasks.

In the coming time, promoting its results and experience gained, the Brigade will continue to synchronously deploy safety measures in all of its operations to contribute to building an all-strong, “exemplary and typical” unit, meeting the requirements and tasks in the new situation.

Senior Colonel PHAM VAN LUAN, Brigade Commander