The Byculla Fire Station conducted an emergency fire and rescue drill at the main building of Bhatia Hospital here on Monday. Mr. Suneet Ubale, Fire Officer Byculla Head Office who conducted the rescue operation said hospitals often prove to be high-risk buildings handling patients whose movement is restricted to their beds.
The drill was to educate the hospital management, staff and officials on how to act if there is an accidental fire in the multi-storied building. It was conducted as per the international standards of fire and safety preparedness and was focused on safe-patient evacuation in case of an emergency.
During the mock fire drill, a hydraulic platform ladder was used for evacuation from buildings and rooftops in case of emergency or disasters. Dummy patients were evacuated from the hospital building as part of the drill. Hospital staff was also given hands-on training to use the ladder in case of an emergency or disaster.
The hospital staff participated in the fire prevention rehearsal under the instruction and cooperation of the Byculla Fire Station. This exercise was aimed at training the staff in practical ways to respond during a crisis, and how to navigate out of dangerous areas and retain order and security.
Most importantly, fire officers also imparted training to the staff to handle rescue in case of emergency situations where it is impossible for the firemen to enter a building for unavoidable reasons. Staff were trained on how those present inside the building could then conduct the rescue emergency operations on their own, what precautions they should take and how they could save valuable lives.
Dr. Rajeev Boudhankar, CEO, Bhatia Hospital said, “As a responsible healthcare organisation, we conduct such mock drives regularly and ensure that our entire team is aware of fire safety and are able to follow laid down fire safety procedures in case of an emergency. This drill will help our staff and other people who were present today to known the dos and don’ts and be prepared to face such situations.”
Mr. Suneet Ubale, Fire Officer, Byculla Fire Station Head Office, said, “In order to make sure that patients, staff, attendants etc understand safety procedures, mock drills are an important part of fire safety procedures. Additionally, they help us to test effectiveness of evacuation plans in case an emergency situation. We take this opportunity to help organisations like hospitals improve their protocols as well.”