Kids learn to fight fire, fear

Fire safety workshops for students on emergency evacuation

Fire safety workshops for students on emergency evacuation

For the first time, the Mumbai Fire Brigade and the Fire and Security Association of India (FSAI) have included the concept of emergency evacuation in the Dare to Care safety workshops they conduct at schools.

Emergency evacuation was undertaken at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower during the 26/11 attacks. Around 1 lakh students in 30 schools will take part in this workshop.

Shalini Choudhary, chief executive officer of FSAI, said, "After 26/11, we felt this was an important concept for school faculty to know. In today's scenario, schools are soft targets."
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Ever Ready: The mock drill at Stanislaus High School yesterday

The programme was flagged off yesterday at St Stanislaus High School, Bandra.

Fire officers explained concepts of emergency evacuation, mock drills, extinguishing fire and fire prevention and gave live demonstrations on fire fighting techniques.

Arun Khazanchi, director (South Asia), Honeywell Life Safety Sensors, Devices and Gas, which partnered the FSAI in conducting the workshops, said, "During any emergency, several lives are lost when people panic.
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We want students to know how not to panic. They will remember the lessons forever."

Tragedies

September 10, 2009, New Delhi: Five girls were killed and 27 other students injured when rumours of a short circuit in a government school flooded with rain water caused a stampede.

July 16, 2004, Kumbakonam: Eighty-three children aged between eight and 10 years were charred to death while over 27 others received serious burns when a major fire raged through their school.