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TIMELY AUDITS, MOCK DRILLS MUST TO ENSURE SAFETY IN HOSPITALS

Young Bites. Dated: 1/15/2020 9:51:45 AM

With all the oxygen cylinders and electronic equipment, hospitals always carry a high-risk badge for fire accidents. They are most vulnerable as far as fire incidents are concerned. A fire broke out at hospital in Noida on Jan 9, the blaze broke out in the basement of the seven-storey ESIC hospital building located in Sector 24. Around 100-120 people were present at the hospital at the time. This kind of incident can occur in any hospital. One big question which arises in every one’s mind is that how much fire safe are our hospitals in J&K? Fire safety is an important norm that needs to be considered during the construction of a hospital. Compared to the general buildings, it is a tough task to evacuate the people from the hospitals. The hospital training and learning arm to blame that most of the hospital staff do not have awareness of fire safety and the steps that need to be employed in the face of calamity. And, the highly dependent and immovable patients make it a difficult task to evacuate the hospital building in a rush. Hospitals and other healthcare facilities need to focus more on the easy and safe evacuation methods. The healthcare practices are responsible for the safety and security of the people inside the hospital and they are expected to adhere to the legally approved fire safety measures. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, especially when the building is a hospital. Time to time audit has to be done, to check that the safety equipments are upto mark. Ensure your whole system is involved in fire prevention by taking measures of fire prevention, ensuring the fire safety equipment is intact and functional. Hospitals should conduct mock drills and the staff should be well trained to handle any untoward incident in case fire breaks out. This aspect has vital importance in reducing the damage and saving lives during a fire accident. Ensure all your staff members are undergoing the fire safety training programs and participating in the mock drills. This not only creates a responsive and reliable team in case of a fire but also establishes a safe and secured atmosphere that prevents fire accidents.