Oasis Mall conducts mock evacuation

The Oasis Mall management alerted the visitors and staff through its publicaddress system that a fire broke out in one of its outlets and it might extend to other parts of the mall

MUSCAT: Landmark Group Oman in Muscat carried out its first mock evacuation programme for Oasis Mall Al Khuwair, in coordination with the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA) in the governorate.

The Oasis Mall management alerted the visitors and staff through its public-address system that a fire broke out in one of its outlets and it might extend to other parts of the mall.

A mass evacuation of a 120 staff and visitors was done successfully for the mall. Guided by its internal fire marshals and civil defence team, they were evacuated by using the nearest emergency exits heading towards the marked assembly points.

Clive Freeman, chief operating officer for the business stated, “Landmark Group is one of the leading retail groups in the region and has always been committed to ensuring that the customer comes first. As well as offering class leading affordable products, the health and safety of our customers and team remain our utmost priority. To address this, in collaboration with the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance we conducted a simulated emergency evacuation drill at Oasis Mall and aligned the processes to the global health and safety standards.

“The local authorities have been with us all through our journey in the past few years with other locations and stores like Seeb Souq, Ibri and Salalah. This exercise at Oasis Mall has been another milestone for us to work closely in strengthening our processes and identifying the blind spots.”

Khalid Mohammed Al Busaidi Captain at PACDA Baushar fire station said, “This mock evacuation drill conducted by Oasis Mall was well-organised and they are capable of handling an emergency situation in the future. They had the right thought process and knowledge of handling the emergency response.”

Faisal Ahmed Al Amri, team lead at PACDA Baushar fire station, commented, “After thorough preparations, the fire wardens as well as all the staff of Oasis Mall performed the training and drill flawlessly, thereby declaring another successful step towards providing a risk free working environment for their tenants and a safe shopping environment for their customers.”