Firefighting training starts for medical staff in hospitals

Initiative taken after several newborns died in Sahiwal hospital fire last month

RAWALPINDI:

After the tragic fire incident in Sahiwal Hospital, extensive firefighting training is being conducted for doctors, nurses, paramedic staff, and all level IV personnel in both allied government and major private hospitals in Rawalpindi.

The training included the use of fire extinguishers and the rescue of patients trapped in wards during a fire incident. On Wednesday, the Civil Defense team conducted a comprehensive exercise at Holy Family Hospital.

A controlled fire was ignited on one side of the hospital and was promptly extinguished by the doctors, nurses, and staff, who took turns practising with fire extinguishers.

Sadaf Zahoor, a senior instructor of the Civil Defense Department, during her lecture, emphasised the importance of staying calm during a fire. She instructed the participants to first switch off the main power supply, carefully open the fire extinguisher and direct the chemical spray at the fire. She also advised using sand to douse the flames if easily available. For larger fires, multiple people should coordinate and spray from all sides.

Training also covered rescuing individuals trapped in fire-affected wards. The training session lasted three hours. Doctors and nurses expressed their satisfaction and gratitude for the opportunity to learn valuable firefighting skills.

District Officer Civil Defence, Talib Hussain, announced that a similar training session would be conducted at Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital. All major hospitals in Rawalpindi will train their medical staff, he added.

The government has launched the installation of modern fire extinguishers in all public and private hospitals. Moreover, hospitals have started allocating regular funds for firefighting equipment.