An officer trains an employee on how to observe
a strange object.
Jetsada Homklin
Central Festival Pattaya Beach tenants prepared for a range of
emergencies at a mall workshop covering everything from gas leaks to
suspicious packages.
General Manager Theeraporn Jitnawa led the Sept. 12 drill for 500 employees
from the shopping center and Hilton Pattaya Hotel above it. Pattaya city
fire officials quizzed participants orally on procedures and led practical
demonstrations and tests.
Attendees were educated on common causes of emergencies, such as leaks of
flammable gases, chemicals, fires, jumpers from high floors and discovery of
“suspicious” packages that could contain bombs.
The group also spent time covering evacuation procedures and routes,
practicing getting crowds out of the busy mall.
Attendees were told that, in cases of flammable gas, to try and identify
source of leak and resolve the problem, but only to the extent safety is not
compromised. In other cases of gases, employees were advised to open a
window to provide better ventilation and taking care not to do anything that
might cause a spark and set off an explosion.
If suspicious objects are discovered, workers were told to clear the area
for at least 150 meters, or 600 meters if the item is inside a car.
Central Festival organizes four training sessions a year due to its belief
in the importance of safety. The training and practice session has been
organized for the benefit of employees who would be faced with protecting
shoppers.
