Emergency response drill at Times Square

In conjunction with its 52^nd anniversary Brunei Fire and Rescue Department (BFRD) once more held the nationwide fire drill in order to test its Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of its personnel by testing them in various emergency scenario.

For Brunei and Muara District the drill was held at the Times Square Building at Berakas this morning (12 March 2012, Monday). The drill saw the scenario of the building hotel which caught fire and cause three casualties lost during the evacuation. A team of firefighters consists of personnel from Berakas Fire Station, Women Operation Unit and Special Squad from Rimba Fire Station using two fire motorcycles and 8 fire engines and support vehicles rushed to the scene upon receiving and emergency call at 8:30am.

Upon arrival at the scene the firefighters are divided into several team where the Berakas and Women Operation Unit are in-charge of extinguishing the fire and locating the casualties. While the Special Squad members rushed to the rooftop to provide aerial rescue consists of abseiling and flying fox to rescue the casualties as the exit had been blocked by the fire. A Forward Command Post (FCP) are also setup at the nearby Citis Square to ensure the operation went smooth and safe. The whole drill ended around 9:30am.

Present to witness the drill was Awang Yahya bin Hj.Abdul Rahman, Director of the Brunei Fire and Rescue Department, also present was BFRD senior officers as well. The drill saw the participation of various agencies namely Brunei Fire and Rescue Department as lead agency, Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF), Ministry of Health, mass media as well as Times Square management.

The event was one of the major highlights for the BFRD 52^nd celebration which at the same time was held to create fire safety awareness among occupants of the commercial building in case a fire occur. Various activities are also had been lined up for the celebration namely the Anniversary parade on the upcoming 24 March 2012 and charity bazaar for the public.