Pune Fire Department helps train hospital staff and caregivers to ensure they are highly prepared to minimize damage in the event of a fire
Pune, 30 December 2016: Columbia Asia Hospitals, Pune today organized a comprehensive mock fire drill in collaboration with the Fire Department of the Pune Municipal Corporation, to ensure the hospital staff is strengthened to respond to any fire-related emergency.
The mock drill and training session was organized in the backdrop of tragic fire-related accidents happening in several hospitals, which underline the need for better preparedness on the part of public places to minimize loss of life and injury.
As part of the drill, the hospital simulated a fire emergency situation and initiated steps to deal with it in tandem with the Fire Department.
Code Red was announced at the hospital at 10.45 am, following which an urgent 101 call was made to the Fire Department. Two vehicles of the PMC Fire Department immediately rushed to the spot. The vehicles included the Fire Brigade and the Bronto – the rescue vehicle used for evacuation from high rise buildings. With the arrival of the fire personnel, efforts began to fight the fire while simultaneously the evacuation exercise was also carried out.
“In recent times, we have witnessed horrific fire incidents at hospitals in India which have resulted in loss of precious life. We believe fire preparedness is essential for all public institutions and buildings, especially hospitals. Though we ensure that the staff is trained in handling such eventualities, the fire mock drill and the training session gave confidence to our hospital staff today to be highly prepared to take prompt action in case of any such untoward incident and ensure our patients are safe. We are thankful to the Pune Municipal Corporation Fire Department for extending support in this endeavor,” said Dr. Shamim Khan, General Manager, Columbia Asia Hospitals, Pune.
Evacuating patients at hospitals requires even higher degree of efficiency and training as most patients are not in a condition to rush out of the buildings themselves, and have to be carried or lifted out.
The entire drill was followed by a comprehensive on the ground training session by the fire dept officials that educated the hospital staff about the Dos and Don’ts to follow in such situations. The training officers from the Fire Deparment included Mr. Vijay Bhillare- Station Duty officer and Mr. Ramesh Gangad- Asst Divisional Fire Officer.
“Handling fire related emergencies at public buildings requires training on the part of the staff. There are some common mistakes that people make such as using elevators or rushing upstairs during such events. At the same time there is a risk of stampede in crowded places as people try to rush out of the building. Our training helps public buildings internalize a protocol that has to be followed by everyone during a fire incident. This helps save life and injuries and minimize damage. We are happy to have partnered Columbia Asia Hospitals, Pune in their endeavor to become better prepared to deal with such eventualities,” said Mr. Ramesh Gangad- Asst Divisional Fire Officer.
About Columbia Asia Hospitals Pvt. Ltd.
Columbia Asia Hospitals Pvt. Ltd. is the only company in India to utilize 100% foreign direct
investment (FDI) route in the hospital sector.
About Columbia Asia Group of Companies
The Columbia Asia Group is owned by more than 150 private equity companies, fund
management organizations and individual investors. The group currently operates eleven
facilities in India and has presence in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Kolkata,
Mysore, Patiala and Pune. The company also operates hospitals in Malaysia (11), Vietnam
(3), and Indonesia (3). The Indian management operations are managed from its office in
Bangalore.