Phuket students acquire critical fire safety skills in real fire drill

The drill, conducted by the Rawai municipal division of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), took place at the premises of Wat Sawang Arom School on Friday (June 9).

Approximately 110 students of various ages participated in the session to gain a basic understanding of fire suppression and effective evacuation in case of fire, as stated in a post-event report by Rawai Municipality.

The exercise was led by Thiraphong Thaowdang, Deputy Mayor of Rawai, and deemed a success.

Tambon Rawai was the location of one of the largest wildfires in recent years in Phuket. On February 5, 2022, a fire engulfed approximately 50 rai of hillside land near Nai Harn Beach. Due to the steep terrain, firefighting teams focused on preventing the fire from reaching a nearby luxury resort and local houses. It took several days before officials declared that the situation was back to normal.

Following the incident, the Phuket branch of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC, the political arm of the Thai military), organised a fire preparedness exercise attended by 45 community leaders and local residents from Rawai.

Rear Admiral Kanokpol Pimthong, Deputy Chief of the Phuket ISOC branch, emphasised the importance of ordinary people’s knowledge about disasters in both prevention and response.

“Communities are the first line of defense against disasters. If a community is prepared to face a situation and can respond initially on their own, it will help minimise loss of life and property,” R/Adm Kanokpol said.

The activities aimed to educate community leaders and citizens on disaster management practices and prepare them to act as the first line of defense in case of fires and other emergencies.