Fire team giving hospital a check-up

A team of inspectors from the PNG Fire Service’s community safety division are conducting safety inspections at the Port Moresby General Hospital.
Superintendent for community safety Waira Vele said that the inspectors were carrying out inspections at the hospital upon a request from Port
Moresby General Hospital chief executive Dr Umesh Gupta.
He said that the inspection was to ensure the hospital buildings were fire safe .
“Upon requests, the Fire Service’s community safety division usually visit building sites and do reports identifying defects which the building owners or managers must then address within a given period of time,” Vele said.
“Once we are satisfied with their attempts to correct the situation, we will provide their staff relevant fire-emergency drills or training.”
Vele said initially the hospital requested the PNG Fire Service to conduct evacuation drills for the hospital staff but were informed that before such training, the fire service must first make sure their buildings’ fire safety installations were maintained and required equipment were in place.
“The fire safety inspectors have commenced inspections and we should complete inspecting all the buildings soon,” he said.
“We will be looking for defects in the fire alarm systems, escape routes, fire hydrants, hydrant boosters, fire extinguishers, fire hose reels and pumps which the hospital management must rectify,” he said.
Gupta said fire safety was a high-priority concern for the Port Moresby General Hospital due to the nature of flammable equipment used daily in their operating theatres and intensive care units along
with the vulnerable nature of the patients in their care.
He said to best prepare and equip the PMGH staff to deal with fire safety and disaster response, the PNG Fire Service was requested to assist conduct an inspection of the hospital’s current fire equipment.