In a sad incident, a girl doing her BBA in a local college in Coimbatore loses life during a disaster drill activity conducted by the trainer. There were 20 volunteers who were prepared to jump of the building in an effort to evacuate the building. Though the girl seemed to have been hesitant to jump, the trainer has pushed the girl into the drill which has turned into a deadly incident. In this article, we will attempt to highlight disaster drill exercises and the proper way of conducting one to avoid untoward incidents.
About mock drill
Disaster drills are exercises to safeguard employees in the premises in case of natural disasters like extreme weather, emergency situations, bomb threat or lockdown. The purpose of the disaster drill is to effectively handle the incident by evacuating the building and eventually saving lives and property.
The direct challenges involved in an emergency drill could be the large number of employees who need to be evacuated. Conducting fire drills can help to handle the incident effectively by letting the emergency team know their scope of work precisely and by increasing awareness among employees to react calmly during adverse situation.
It is recommended that fire drills are conducted atleast twice a year according to safety regulations.
How is mock drill conducted?
There is a process that needs to be followed while performing a mock or disaster drill exercise. The process needs to include the Planning element, implementation activities, Exercises to be conducted and the Aftermath.
The mock drill activity generally takes anywhere between 5 to 15 minutes depending upon the size of the premises and the number of people participating in the activity.
During the mock drill, the fire alarm is activated and the entire building is evacuated; and finally demonstrations are provided on how to put off fire. It is recommended to be at a distance of atleast 8 feet while putting off the fire.
Generally, a Fire Emergency Evacuation Plan (FEEP) is followed during drill exercises. Also, as a part of the safety procedures, the fire extinguishers have to be inspected annually by the professionals at Fire Protection Company.
Effects of Mock Drill
Mock drills have to strictly follow through the process in order to avoid any possible accidents. Mock drills are highly effective tool to increase awareness among people on how to react in-case of a natural disaster. How can one safeguard oneself in case of a fire accident within a building? Fire drills are the best way to protect your premise and be calm and act efficiently in-case of an untoward incident.
Conduct mock drills with a plan
In order to avoid accidents during disaster drills follow the protocols strictly for successful implementation of the exercise without any injury to life or damage to the property. If the drill exercises are followed diligently following the process and regulations then unfortunate incidents like what has happened in Coimbatore can be avoided.
Stay Safe and Be Safe.
NIST Global - NEBOSH IGC | Safety 