Central Festival runs emergency-preparedness drill

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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.

An officer trains an employee on how to observe a strange object.An officer trains an employee on how to observe a strange object.

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.