A fire disaster averted

The quick response of Ansar members present at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University on Saturday has prevented a major disaster, saving hundreds of lives in the process. As it is particularly difficult to move patients around in a hospital, we cannot even imagine what would have happened had the fire spread. Only a few days back, we had witnessed a fire in the Gulshan market engulfing more than 200 shops, causing loss of property worth Tk. 200 crore. 

On that instance, it took fire-fighters hours upon hours to defeat the fire completely as the market had no fire-fighting equipment that could have helped battle the flames, despite repeated warnings by the fire department and other experts. The incident prompted experts to again reiterate the importance of having fire-fighting equipment installed and for basic fire-fighting training to be provided to individuals at all public places. 

And by the looks of what happened at BSMMU, they have again been proven right. Over 50 fire extinguishers were present and used by Ansar men to initially try and douse the flames before the fire-fighters arrived, which, according to the fire-fighters, made all the difference. Ansar men at BSMMU were also trained in fire-fighting which helped them react appropriately to the fire and not panic under stressful conditions.

This should be the case everywhere. The authorities should ensure that all public places and establishments are equipped with adequate fire-fighting equipment and that those present are provided with sufficient training. No compromise should be made when it comes to saving the lives of human beings.