Mumbai, Dec 14: The Mumbai Fire Brigade and the Fire and Safety Association of India (FSAI) have started a campaign to spread fire safety in schools in Mumbai. The aim is to teach the staff and students evacuation techniques and other measures in case of any fire, bomb scare or other emergency.
A fire official said, “Most schools do not follow safety norms. In most cases, they do not even have fire extinguishers. In case of a fire or any crisis, the situation would be difficult to tackle. The campaign is aimed at making schools aware of fire safety practices and training them on evacuation procedures.”
The campaign, designed jointly by FSAI and the Fire Department, is being carried out by a team of fire officials personally visiting each school. They also conduct mock drills on emergency evacuation, extinguishing fires and explain the latest techniques to prevent fire.
“We had entered into an agreement with the Fire Department in November to start the campaign. The objective is to teach fire safety practices to children so that they not only help in preventing fire mishaps but also react to situations quickly without panicking,” said FSAI national president Pramoud Rao.
Chief Fire Officer Uday Tatkare said, “A recent government resolution spoke of increasing fire safety norms in schools. It is desirable that school managements adhere to them…”
The campaign that started late last month includes an initial list of 25 schools including well-known ones such as Ryan International, Jamnabai Narsee School, Maneckji Cooper, Vibgyor International, Lilavati Podar School and Cambridge School.
—Agencies