GEORGE TOWN: CITITEL Penang is prepared in case of an emergency. The four-star hotel recently carried out a fire evacuation drill at its 16-storey building in Jalan Penang.
The training, which is conducted annually, was to familiarise staff with fire safety procedures and evacuation plan.
Hotel safety and security manager N. Velumurugan said the drill was crucial to ensure that staff were aware of what to do in an emergency.
“We have 170 employees and our hotel can accommodate more than 1,000 guests.
“So, it is important for them to follow procedures in an emergency,” he said at a press conference after the drill.
He said the hotel had formed an Emergency Rescue Team (ERT) in preparation for an emergency.
The ERT team would assist the official rescue team whenever there is a disaster.
“The ERT team is trained by the Fire and Rescue Department in basic life saving and fire-rescue.
“To date, we have 30 ERT members comprising staff from different departments in the hotel,” said Velumurugan.
He said as a pro-active measure, the hotel was sending more of its employees for the training.
Velumurugan said the hotel was prepared for scenarios such as fire and collapsed structures, as well as caring for victims who have passed out.
The drill commenced with a fire emergency in one of the hotel rooms on level six.
The hotel then activated the alarm linked to the Fire and Rescue Department station.
While waiting for firemen to arrive, the ERT assisted in evacuating staff and guests from the building to the assembly point.
In the exercise, “two victims” were trapped under a collapsed structure in the lobby.
They were rescued by firemen who gave them first aid and breathing apparatus.
Lebuh Pantai Fire and Rescue Department station chief Mohd Rozairi Abdul Rahim encouraged hotels and offices to carry out fire drills with a collapsed structure scenario as practice.
