ISLAMABAD: A practical test of the fire and rescue system at the Prime Minister’s Office has revealed shortcomings in the emergency infrastructure, including extremely low fire alarm and siren volume and the failure of an electrically operated gate to open in the event of a power outage.
The practical assessment was conducted by Capital Emergency Services as part of a mock fire and rescue drill at the Prime Minister’s Office. During the exercise, officials identified the need for an emergency and manual override system to ensure uninterrupted access and emergency response.
Authorities have directed that the emergency and manual override systems be provided and activated immediately to address the issues identified during the drill.
The exercise also demonstrated a rapid response by the emergency teams. The emergency teams were alerted just one minute after the fire call was received.
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The fire alarm was received at 11:32am, following which a fire tender from G-5 reached the Prime Minister’s Office within four minutes. A rescue van and a Bronto aerial platform also arrived at the scene within nine minutes.
The mock fire and rescue drill was successfully completed at 11:58am.
Despite the infrastructure-related shortcomings identified during the exercise, the overall fire and rescue response performance of Capital Emergency Services was declared satisfactory.
Officials emphasized the need to immediately rectify the identified deficiencies to ensure effective emergency response and the safety of personnel and visitors at the Prime Minister’s Office.
