Schools advised to form fire safety committees with help from Fire and Rescue Department
SARIKEI: Proper evacuation procedures are vital in ensuring the safety of everybody during a fire outbreak.
Sarikei Fire and Rescue Department officer Salim Hussain said evacuation process ought to be done systematically to allow swift and organised movement of victims.
According to him, the optimal period for the evacuation process in concrete buildings should be within three minutes whereas for wooden buildings, the process must be way faster in that wood is highly flammable and thus, it expedites the spread of fire more than any other materials.
“In this regard, I believe that it is advisable for schools to set up their respective fire safety committees, which serve to impart the knowledge on fire safety to the students, especially on how to respond to a fire alarm.
“I also advise schools to hold fire drill exercise at least once a year, as a refresher,” he said in his opening remarks at a fire drill in SMK Sarikei Baru here yesterday.
At the exercise, firefighters conducted a demonstration on rescuing trapped victims from a burning building and also the proper usage of a fire extinguishing unit.
SMK Sarikei Baru principal Awet Gapor, on behalf of his 650 students and teachers, thanked the department for sharing fire safety tips with them and hoped that the firefighters could continue to spare their time in holding similar programmes at the school in the future.