The management of St. Elizabeth Hospital engaged the Asutifi South District office of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) to train and educate staff on emergency response to fire outbreaks. The drill was needed to equip staff with the knowledge on emergency preparedness and the actions to take during fire and electrical emergencies.

The training involved theoretical presentations and practical simulations on controlling different types of fires using various firefighting equipment.

What staff learned

• How to handle a fire outbreak: sounding the fire alarm, patient evacuation, assembling at a safe place, making an emergency call to GNFS, when and how to use fire extinguishers, and conducting a roll call.
• Managing electrical faults and failures, including servicing electrical connections and equipment, and locating and turning off the main switch.
• How the different types of fire extinguishers work, including how to identify a poorly functioning extinguisher.

First published in the St. Elizabeth Catholic Hospital Newsletter, Maiden Edition (2022).