Ansar members' prompt response saves the day
Ansar members kept a fire under control until the fire-fighters came and doused the flames at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University yesterday.
Their smart response prevented the fire from spreading and what could have been a major disaster.
The fire began at about 11:05am in the BSMMU's compressor room in the basement of a hospital building.
The hospital's Ansar men, also trained in fire fighting, were the first responders. They used over 50 fire-extinguishing cylinders breaking the windows of the room and through the basement.
Later, firemen of three fire engines extinguished the blaze around 11:30am, giving a sigh of relief to the panicked patients and visitors.
“We saw smoke coming out of the basement. Immediately, we gathered the fire extinguishers from different places at the hospital and started spraying to stop the fire from spreading … ,” said an Ansar member preferring anonymity.
Over 250 Ansar members work at the BSMMU in shifts, most of whom have fire-fighting training.
Khandaker Abdul Jalil, senior station officer of Fire Service Headquarters, told The Daily Star, “When we reached the spot, we found them trying to douse the fire. They made our job easy by keeping the fire under control.”
In many cases in the past, he added, fires spread due to the lack of or poor first response. “It will be helpful for us if every institution and organisation had such trained people for immediately responding to fires.”
Visiting the hospital around 2:00pm, The Daily Star correspondent found at least 42 empty fire-extinguishing cylinders which the Ansar members had used.
Brig Gen Abdullah-al-Harun, director (hospital) of BSMMU, appreciated the Ansar members' efforts. “They are trained and we are happy to see that they apply it,” he said.
Fires in hospitals often become deadly as many patients are incapable of vacating the building on their own.
The BSMMU, like many modern hospitals, has an oxygen supply system built into the walls so that patients could receive oxygen through masks.
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