BMC school students, staff to be trained in fire-fighting

A total of 442 buildings that caters to 1,187 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)-run schools will soon have fire-fighting training sessions for its students and teachers. The fire department of the BMC will be providing training on a weekly basis which will not just cover the basic precautionary measures like using a fire extinguisher, but the physical and mental actions to be taken during the time of an emergency.

This initiative comes after the recent audit conducted in all schools revealed that 312 schools out of the total 442 are unsafe.

"Since the fire authorities belong to the civic body, we don't need to get special permission for this training programme," said Mahesh Palkar, education officer, BMC. According to him, most schools are equipped with basic fire fighting systems that include extinguisher and mock drill activities for students and staff.

During the session, the staff and the students will be taught how to vacate the place by using a safe exit instead of using lifts or jumping out of windows. It will also include crowd control during panic situations, how to avoid suffocation due to smoke and other emergency measures.

The teachers will be trained in a manner where they can provide basic awareness and education regarding fire prevention techniques and use of appropriate equipment.

"Currently we are scheduling a proper time slot wherein the training can be given conveniently to the teachers and students, so there is no clash with the academic time table. We will mostly have a weekly session that will start soon," added Palkar.

According to sources, the fire department will also be charged for checking monthly inspections in the schools regarding fire safety equipment as a part of an audit.