NFA emphasizes Fire Warden training for high-rise buildings

Submitted by TemoL on Thu, 07/02/2009 - 11:21

National Fire Authority completed a Fire Warden training workshop with the tenant organizations located in the Fijian Holdings building at Vanua Arcade in Suva.

The tenants occupying the Fijian Holdings building included Fijian Holdings Trust , Fijian Holdings Limited , HLK Jacob Limited , UNIFEM, UNAIDS and K Saravi Tourism Company. The workshop was conducted by NFA’s Commercial Training Department in line with HASAW Act regulations.

This training session enabled representatives of these tenant organizations to learn basic concepts of fire safety and the use of various fire safety and protection methods during a fire incident.

“NFA is grateful to Fijian Holdings for arranging fire warden training for its tenant organizations particularly since their premises is a high riser or multiple-storey building. The increase in high riser buildings in urban centers places greater emphasis on the building owners to arrange for their tenants to be trained in fire safety and evacuation procedures”, said NFA’s Commercial Training officer Pauliasi Tuiwai.

“As part of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, workers are required to be trained to respond to a fire incident and how to use the fire safety equipment installed in their workplace such as fire extinguishers, fire alarm systems, etc,” said Mr Tuiwai.

“It is particularly important that these tenant organizations learn to synchronize their efforts in the event of a fire emergency because they are all located in the same building”, he said.

Mr Tuiwai said: “NFA runs specially packaged training programs for corporate bodies and we encourage all organizations to engage their workers in fire safety awareness and fire warden training”.

UNAIDS employee Tevita Kaufuti said it was a good experience for him to learn how to use appliances such as fire extinguishers. He encouraged business organizations to conduct fire warden training to their staff which is being offered by NFA.