Fire prevention awareness program from tomorrow

by Kurulu Kariyakarawana

The Colombo Fire Brigade will launch a fire prevention awareness week beginning tomorrow to educate the public how to act in an emergency. This is a sequel to the recent fire which destroyed over 60 shops in Bodhiraja Mawatha, Pettah.

Colombo Fire Chief, Rohitha Fernando told the Sunday Observer that the program is being launched as a sequel to several fire emergencies reported in the recent past and the public's inability to act in an emergency.

In a fire emergency informants sometimes call the police or other emergency hot lines instead of directly calling the Fire Brigade, which is the requirement.

A media briefing will be held tomorrow to summarise the week's agenda which will be followed by the main awareness program to educate traders, shop owners and workers in the Fort and Pettah commercial areas. Small fire drills will also be conducted in selected locations to show the public how to act and extinguish a fire prior to the arrival of the Fire Brigade at the scene of the incident.