It is outrageous to see another fire incident taking place in Metro Ayala Mall in Cebu City (fire still ongoing as of posting time) when just 15 days ago 38 call center agents perished in NCCC Mall fire in Davao City. This widespread violation of mall owners with fire safety standards is just insane, literally - compromising the safety and well-being of mall workers to cut costs and make bigger profit for themselves!

Aerial View of Ayala Mall Fire (Source: ProjectLupad.com)

Thank God there are no lost lives in this new one, but the huge number of employees who lost their jobs, and the immense value of the property that has been turned to ash - these could not have happened if the storeowners were vigilant enough and took immediate countermeasures at the instant fire scorched NCCC Mall in Davao.

NCCC Mall Fire that killed 38 (Source: News.ABS-CBN.com)

I am working in a hotel in Davao City as safety engineer, and I could very well remember when fire broke out in NCCC Mall which happens to be situated within the same city, the general manager delivered an immediate order of checking the all the fire safety facilities and emergency exits and reorienting of all firefighting and emergency response teams.

At first I didn't understand why the company is putting so much emphasis in Fire Prevention by spending too much expenditures in firefighting facilities and equipment, conducting regular Bureau of Fire Protection inspection and providing in-depth trainings and seminars for all hotel employees.

Photo on the right was taken during my firefighting-training as I am one of those guys who'll perform the first firefighting measures in case fire breaks out in the hotel (God forbid!).

I just can't help but react - two mall fires in a span of two weeks is just unacceptable. Had these establishments been doing regular fire prevention action plans, there could not have been a lot of lives lost, properties destroyed and workers going unemployed.

What establishments should start doing now

1. Do regular tests on the building's Automatic Sprinkler System.

A fire sprinkler system is an active fire protection method, consisting of a water supply system, providing adequate pressure and flow rate to a building's water distribution piping system, onto which fire sprinklers are connected. They are intended to either control the fire or suppress the fire.

The most common sprinkler system used is Wet Pipe type. Since water is always present in the pipes supplying the sprinkler heads, these types of sprinkler system are quick to react upon the activation of a sprinkler head in a fire scenario when it senses heat. Regular testing of this system is the first major step in preventing fire as it suppresses the spread of the flame before the professional firefighting team arrives.

2. Conduct checkups on the establishment's Fire Alarm System.

In the case of the NCCC Mall fire, it is certain that there are defects in the its alarm system. If the smoke detectors worked well and the alarm sounded on the spot, it wouldn't have been too late for those 38 call center agents to make their way to the closest emergency exits and not be trapped in the comfort room due to the thick smoke already blocking their way out.

A fire alarm system has a number of electrical and electronic devices working together to detect and warn people through visual and audio appliances when smoke, fire, carbon monoxide or other emergencies are present. These alarms may be activated automatically from smoke detectors, and heat detectors or may also be activated via manual fire alarm activation devices such as manual call points or pull stations.

3. Check conditions of all emergency exits.

An emergency exit in a structure is a special exit for emergencies such as a fire: the combined use of regular and special exits allows for faster evacuation, while it also provides an alternative if the route to the regular exit is blocked by fire.

It must satisfy the following conditions: it must be in a location that is easily accessible, the exit must have an area or location that it can bring you to in the event of any emergency situation, it must be controlled by the inside of the building, it must be well managed and regularly up kept, and it must be in a permanent location.

In NCCC Mall's case, the establishment failed to include in the building's design the need for accessible exit for all, requiring the call center agents to go long ways to reach the exit doors. It is therefore reasonable that building officials were fired and BFP personnel sacked. How in the world could they miss such an extremely important detail?

4. Organize emergency orientations and seminars for employees.
Fire, as we all know, can cause loss of both properties and lives. It is important to know how to prevent fire from starting, how to properly exterminate fire while it still has not spread yet, where to go during emergency situations and what to do to ensure higher chances of escaping safe and sound.

It's the company's corporate responsibility to seek the welfare and safety of its workforce and just as it spends large sums for fire safety facilities, it should also set aside expenditure in making sure its laborers are mentally aware and prepared.

I bet everybody knows the mnemonic in using fire extinguisher by now. If you don't, don't expect to get out alive when fire breaks out nearby! Just kidding. Just look at the picture at the side, in case you forgot it.

Just imagine if an employee sees a smoke coming out of a certain place and then eventually, flames appear - if that person had been mentally ready, would he just run away and save his life? Definitely no - he'd look for a fire extinguisher nearby and try to put it out before it gets bigger. All it takes is common sense, but sad to say, in situations such as fire breaking out, the psychologically unprepared does not have it.

I applaud the Ayala Mall for successfully getting all its shoppers out - there must have been proper coordination among the staffs and safety personnel and the fire alarm system must have worked well, but surely the sprinkler systems failed, resulting to property turned to ash and hardworking people losing their jobs.

NCCC Mall, on the other hand, clearly violated all the points listed in this article. What a tragedy - 38 innocent lives all because of the company's negligence and lack of care for its workforce - I pray all the establishments of the country has learned enough from these two subsequent fire accidents before losing more precious lives.

When you gamble with safety, you bet your life.

Related Sources:
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/958102/probers-checking-for-violations-of-safety-rules-in-cebu-mall-fire
http://www.ifcgroup.com/fire-engineering/sprinkler-system-design/types-of-sprinkler-system.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_exit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_Sprinkler_System
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_Alarm_System
http://www.ateneo.edu/news/igniting-knowledge-fire-safety