This was one of the demands made by the speakers at the 11th Annual Fire, Safety, & Security Convention organised here at the hotel by the National Forum for Environment & Health (NFEH) in collaboration with the Fire Protection Association of Pakistan (FPAP).
Speaking at the inaugural session of the convention, FPAP President Kanwar Waseem said that it was not enough to install the emergency equipment and train a few personnel to deal with fire emergencies in the commercial establishments including markets.
He said that emergency drills should be performed on a regular basis in commercial establishments so that all their employees and workers should know about the proven methods to save their own lives and those in their surroundings in the case of a fire incident.
He said that training sessions at the community level and in educational institutions should be held to create mass-scale awareness about the safety measures required against fire incidents.
He appreciated that with the passage of time the industrial units in Pakistan had been adopting more stringent safety measures as per the international standards against fire and other emergencies.
The FPAP President said that recent fire incidents in markets and industries of Karachi had highlighted the need to do more to safeguard property and lives at the workplaces.
Tariq Moeen, FPAP Director, said that people and businesses in Pakistan should realize that the fire brigade was the last line of defence whenever someone had to deal with any fire emergency as the commercial, residential, and industrial buildings had to have their own fire safety measures on a compulsory basis to timely tackle any fire incident at their premises.
He said that besides the availability of fire extinguishers and fire alarm systems in both commercial and residential buildings especially the high-rises, their occupants should also know the drill to exit their workplace or homes in case of any fire emergency.
He said the FPAP had lately surveyed eight multi-storied commercial buildings on I. I Chundrigar Road in Karachi as emergency exits had been found in only two buildings. The situation has been much better on Sharea Faisal where construction of buildings is relatively newer as up to 40 per cent of high-rises on the main thoroughfare of Karachi had emergency exits.
Sindh Transport and Mass Transit Secretary, Shariq Ahmed, said that commercial, high-rise, and industrial buildings should have all the due safety measures to deal with both natural and man-made calamities.
He said the tragic factory fire incidents in Baldia Town and Mehran Town areas of Karachi could have been avoided if proper emergency measures were in place at these industrial units.
Wajahat Ullah Khan, FPIP Joint Secretary, said that emergency exits in high-rise buildings should carry signs as per the international standards to help people as much possible to do emergency evacuation in the case of a fire incident or any other disaster.
NFEH Naeem Qureshi said that his NGO had been collaborating with the fire protection association for over a decade to create mass awareness about methods and systems to be adopted to protect lives and properties in the case of fire incidents.
He said the NFEH would continue to hold more such events to make people aware of the importance of fire safety measures at their homes and workplaces.
Qazi Zahid Hussain Vice President Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Engr. Nadeem Ashraf Project Director Fire Safety, Ruqiya Naeem Secretary General NFEH. Saeed Jadoon Fire Expert and others also spoke on this occasion.