Quick action from staff nurses at the St. Giles Hospital at Reservoir Road saved a major disaster from happening yesterday afternoon.

At 1.54 pm, the Suva Fire Station was alerted through a 910-emergency call of a fire incident at the St. Giles Hospital. Upon arrival at the scene, the fire team did not see any smoke or fire.

Upon enquiry by the fire team, it was found that the office of the hospital’s Staff in Charge at the premises had caught fire but was successfully extinguished by the quick action of the staff nurses before the fire team arrived.

It is believed that a patient who was discharged from the hospital last month used a beer bottle with kerosene in it and cloth to set the place on fire. The nurses present at the hospital quickly used the hose reels and two 4.5kg dry powder extinguisher to extinguish the fire before it spread.

The National Fire Authority Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Puamau Sowane says the quick action of the nurses is commendable.

“I praise the quick action of the nurses who managed to put out the fire and prevented a major disaster yesterday.”

“This could have been a major fire incident but we are grateful that no one was injured and the building was saved,” he said.

“We are very happy that the St. Giles Hospital Management has been very cooperative in ensuring that their staff undergo fire-safety training with NFA every year,” he added.

NFA’s Commercial Training section provides Fire Fighting Team Training, Fire Warden Training, Fire Safety at Work Training, and Fire Evacuation Training.

CEO Sowane emphasized that investing in fire safety training is crucial for all workers and Employers should engage with NFA for such essential training to be conducted annually.  It can make all the difference.  

 “Employers should take stock of their fire safety capability and take advantage of fire safety awareness programs that NFA can offer to either eliminate or enable the early mitigation of fire damage to their property,” he said. 

“We encourage all employers to engage their staff in firefighting practices and ensure that their staff know what to do in the event of a fire emergency.  We should all ensure that Fire Safety becomes a habit for everyone whether at work or at home.  This will go a long way in preventing the unnecessary occurrence of fires damaging properties, “he added.   

“We can make a difference and ensure that we know what to do in the event of a fire emergency”, CEO Sowane said.

-END-