Sharjah, May 25, 2017:  A fire drill was held at the Sharjah Central Post Office to test the preparedness of employees and customers in the event of a fire or any other emergency. 

Teams from the Department of Civil Defense took part in the drill that required employees and customers to leave the building and assemble outside the premises. 

The drill began with the fire alarm going off in the building. As employees and customers came out of the building within minutes, fire engines from the Civil Defense raced to the scene with their sirens blaring. In less than five minutes staff members and customers were evacuated as part of the drill.

During the drill, the Civil Defense teams demonstrated how they take their hose pipes inside the building, rescue those trapped inside and bring back the injured or dead on stretchers. They also demonstrated administering of first aid, including use of oxygen masks for fire-affected victims, and transporting injured persons to emergency vehicles.

“The drill helped employees and customers understand how to react to sudden emergencies,” said Sami Al Khaja, Executive Director of the Support Services Sector. “It also helped our employees to witness at first hand rescue and first-aid operations carried out by Civil Defense, Sharjah Police and Ambulances. We sincerely thank all the teams that took part in the drill.”

Al Khaja said the fire drill was part of the Group’s goal of keeping employees prepared for responding to emergencies, and added that the drill was an initiative of Safety and Inspection Department and praised the unique aspect of making some of the employees part of the rescue teams to boost engagement.