NLA workers response to fire alarm poor
Workers of the National Lottery Authority (NLA) in Accra last Thursday responded poorly to a fire alarm which was supposed to test the workers’ preparedness towards an outbreak of fire on their premises.
Advertisement
At the sound of the fire alarm, which was to alert the workers to a fire on the premises, most of the workers responded poorly to the fire simulation exercise.
While a few of the workers and visitors reacted swiftly, others walked slowly towards the assembly point.
A few were also spotted looking for their personal items before leaving their offices for the assembly point.
Onlookers were attracted to the premises to satisfy their curiosity because they had heard that there was fire on the premises.
simulation exercise
The simulated exercise, which was an evacuation drill exercise, was a collaboration between the management of the NLA and the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) to ascertain the level of preparedness of staff in the event of a fire outbreak.
After a few minutes, when almost everybody had evacuated the NLA premises, the GNFS arrived on the scene with a fire engine and an ambulance to bring the fire that had been set deliberately for the exercise under control.
The GNFS personnel put out the fire and announced to the staff that it was an evacuation drill to test their fire safety preparedness.
Other Trending Stories
The Greater Accra Regional Fire Commander, Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) Mr Ebenezer Simpson, who led the firefighters, said the attitude of some of the workers towards the fire alarm was very risky and dangerous, since the fire could have been a real one on the premises.
He advised individuals to take fire alarms and fire safety measures seriously.
While commending the NLA for putting in place some level of fire safety precautions, Mr Simpson urged the management to come up with an evacuation plan for the premises to make it safer in the event of a fire outbreak.
The Director-General of the NLA, Brigadier General Martin Ahiaglo, said the exercise was to ascertain the preparedness of the workers of the NLA to a fire outbreak.
He said the workers had undergone some form of training in fire management, while others had been trained to be fire wardens.