Are Fire Sprinkler Systems Effective?

Recently, there was a case of a fire breakout in a hotel in Bangkok, resulting in 1 death and 20 odd injuries linked to the fire. The report from The Straits Times provides greater details here: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/ANN/Story/STIStory_776171.html

While it is unfortunate such an event took place, one would question what would be the effectiveness of such sprinkler systems in the event of a fire?

If you speak with any fire protection engineer, contractor or a fire officer, you will come to a summary of other factors that would minimise the effects of a fire (or in the worst case scenario, a fatality):

A) Ensure any addition and alteration works are approved by your country's relevant authorities including revised active fire protection designs;
B) Ensure your premises fire emergency plans are updated reflecting these changes to facilitate search and rescue;
C) Where possible or required, ensure such works are made known to your local fire authorities;
D) If your premises is considered a high occupancy loading, do ensure regular fire safety briefings are conducted or communicated to building occupants especially those performing interim fire fighting duties pending the arrival of the municipal fire brigade; and,
E) Perform ad hoc reviews of your fire protection plans to ensure code compliance as well as relevancy as part of good risk review.

Having approved and adequate active fire protection systems is one thing. Very often much attention should also be paid to fire prevention and consequence management.

Fire Safety Features in Singapore's Newest Transportation Tunnel

Extracted from The Straits Times on 28 Jan 2012:

Motorists driving through the new Woodsville Tunnel will be protected by state-of-the-art fire-fighting technology that can unleash a deluge of water at the touch of a button.

The $3.5 million system can be activated from a control centre, and is designed to tackle the flames before they have chance to grow too big.

Sensors and cameras have been fitted to alert staff, who can then switch on the sprinklers.

The tunnel, which opens today, will benefit motorists travelling along Upper Serangoon Road to Bendemeer Road, Serangoon Road to Upper Serangoon Road, and MacPherson Road to Bendemeer Road.

How Are BCP Managers Compensated?

Ever wondered how much Business Continuity professionals ought to be compensated? Or how about if there is any real difference between a certified or "non certified" BC professional?

I've managed to secure a draft compensation report. However, do note it's only limited to Canada practitioners. Here's the download link:
http://www.weebly.com/uploads/3/7/5/2/3752086/compenstion_benchmarking-canada-2011-final-complimentary_summary.pdf

Stay tuned for more regional draft reports coming up!

How To Ensure Safety of Tourists

I recently came back from a short trip in Japan and given my hopeless capability in speaking the Japanese language, it became a convenient habit of me to approach anyone and converse in English hoping that the locals could understand what I was trying to say and respond in kind.

As someone who often looks out for common building features and observing cultures of other countries pertaining to disaster and emergency response, I would often find similar facilities (granted they follow their own Codes of Practices) as in Singapore.

However, I noted one thing that was definitely useful to tourists should a national emergency take place and folks like us would (at that point of time) be interested to know where we should go to ensure our own safety. In the pictures attached (taken while in Shinjuku), is a typical street map indicating an open safe refuge (or what most of us would call, a designated assembly area).

I doubt every country would have such commonly available info right on the streets.

Aviation Foam Tenders in Action!

Well,I was going through my PC and came across a footage my pals recorded back when I was still in the ARFF units :)

Typically, its a process we call "pump and roll". One that involves any of the deployed foam tenders to discharge its foam compund onto the intended "fire target" while rolling around and closer to the aircraft.

Do note that not all foam tenders can perform such a maneouver and it will depend very much on your vehicle model.

So, enjoy the clip!

Pandemic Planning Resources

It's been quite some time since the H1N1 pandemic has been the talk of the town in the emergency planning arena as well as in everyone's surrounding community.

At the current moment, we do know that countries such as China will be mass producing (or have already started) vaccines that may possibly minimise and hopefully eliminate the H1N1 strain of virus to some targetted groups of its population. Of course other major pharmacuetical companies are also still in perhaps the final testing phase.

While we await for a "cure" to fully crystallize, it is still important for emergency planners, business continuity specialists, as well as all relevant and responsible parties be aware of key resources that will enable them to better prepare and plan for a greater scale of outbreak in the near future.

As such, I've found the following link to be relatively comprehensive and useful for almost everyone to reference with, pertaining to pandemic planning:

Click Here for Pandemic Planning Resource

Always be prepared!

Jakarta New Bombings: Is Your Organisation Ready?

Despite past bombing events at Jakarta or in the Indonesian region, terrorists (as it seems to be for now) have once again struck a successful blow to the tourism industry at The Ritz Carlton, JW Marriots. All this taking place even with the current ramped up security and anti-terrorism measures by the country and the security agencies.

As this blog is being posted, I am being swamped with live radio and television broadcast reports provided by various terrorism experts on what actually happened in Indonesia today, and how all this tragic events could have happened once more.

Definitely very sad.

But what can we learn at the individual or even at the organisational level?

Regardless of where one lives in today, your country's security agency would have by now been ever more prepared for the eventuality of a terrorist strike. It's obvious from all these recent events that no country is spared.

This means that organisations residing in these coubtries would already have in place a certain form of business coninuity plan or currently embarking on a business continuity management journey. For some organisations, this would also be known as emergenecy planning or preparedness. Relevant plans should by now be put in place including the necessary infrastructure required to support such recovery operations.

As an indvidual, you should be familiar with the plans in place in your organisation, such as the faithful practising of annual fire evacuation drills and so on. Of course, there are other equally important procedures one should be familiar as well, to ensure your best chance of survival, as well as recovery to your organisation's business operations.

So, are you prepared?