CWM Hospital fire system
Satish Nakched, Suva
It is with great disappointment to note that the Colonial War Memorial Hospital is not in compliance with the National Fire Authority requirements due to the fact that the fire alarm warning systems are not operational.
The fire control panel outside the Children’s ward and two near the emergency has been vandalised and are completely dead.
The fire panel glass door is smashed and the one outside the Children’s ward do not have any closure at all with exposed electrical wires and itself is a hazard. The chances are high that an unsupervised child can become a victim of electrocution.
There are smoke detectors mounted on the ceiling and if it detects smoke the signal will be sent to the fire panel and the audio siren will be activated giving the people inside ample time to be evacuated and move to safety. Apart from this most of the fire panels are directly connected to the NFA Control room and within minutes the fire trucks will be dispatched.
In a case of a fire time is sensitive and such information must come through without any delays for a speedy reaction. The fire control panels will also give the exact location of the fire. This equipment is to be serviced twice a year and the equipment tags are up dated the same time.
Upon closer inspections it was found out that most of the smoke detector are defective and are in default mode. Poor servicing, dust accumulation and the faulty signal communication lines can cause this.
It is the smoke and the toxic gas that kills people in a building fire rather than the heat itself. So it is necessary to sound the alarm and alert the people for reaction. The escape route must not be obstructed in anyway and exits clearly marked. There are damaged beds lined up near the stairs.
A well trained evacuation team on receiving such signals can reduce such risk of causalities. Timely special attention must be given to the physically challenged and the very sick people to move out to safety.
The CWM Hospital at any given time has more than five hundred inpatients and that numbers increases if the outpatient, staff and the visitors are added to the list.
The list also includes the vulnerable new mothers and the babies.
The hospital is located on a large area and is in a sense very compact if you divide the space available with the number of people present there.
The hospital operation is ongoing 24/7 and is bursting with activity with a lot of the pedestrian and vehicle movement.
Everyone who is in the hospital are in a very high red risk category should a fire break out which may have a catastrophic result.
Appropriate action must be taken now to ensure that the risk of fire in the hospital is minimised by compliance at all times with the fire safety requirements of the National Fire Authority.
The relevant Minister must immediately instruct the Safety Audit team to probe further with the view to eliminate the hazard and recommend corrective actions.
Such threats will only occur if the organisation has a poor and a very ineffective OHS Committee which itself is a breach of the Act and other associated legislations.
Congratulations CWM Hospital
Ronnie Chang, Nadi
My sincere congratulations to the Board of Visitors (BOV) of the Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWM) for your shining example in the official opening of your general shop; restaurant and flower shop.
I guess once BOV Nadi Hospital has finally gotten its act together with relevant stake-holders in resurrecting our own hospital’s paying ward, with utmost urgency, we could take a page out of your “master plan” and implement a similar project.
Take a bow!!!
Road rage
Shad Alfaz Ali, Navua
It’s sad to learn that another life has been lost on our roads.
While our condolences are with the family of the deceased, it’s important for us to also understand what led to the tragedy.
According to the Fiji Sun (21.07.16) the incident was more a case of road rage than a road accident.
Road rage is a dangerous, aggressive and angry behaviour by the driver or other road users.
It can happen with anybody and is dependent on the individual’s ability to cope with stress.
It’s important to understand how a seemingly petty issue on the road with a stranger you did not plan to encounter could become fatal.
All drivers would have experienced some form of road rage if not being a victim of one and it’s not difficult to understand how easily a small issue can translate into a major problem.
It’s important to understand the psychology of road rage in that it lasts only for a short period of time and if we are able to control ourselves and remain calm under pressure, we would be able to avoid its effect.
To all road users, please understand that road rage is a common problem which can easily be avoided.
We need to avoid getting into confrontations with other road users, remain calm when encountering a frustrated person while allowing him time to manage his own anger.
Education
Tukai Lagonilakeba, Nadi
Our Government must be congratulated for its Ministry of Education allocation in our 2016/2017 National budget; it simply signifies its priority and commitment to our future Fijian leader’s educational welfare and this is all about correcting the many injustices of the past.
To make Fiji a literate country it requires a leader with the political will to make the necessary change, a visionary with a well balanced mentally and physically fit strong individual at the same time lead with an iron fist to implement and stand by their inclusive policies.
The leaders must be one whom are seen determined to crack the whip and say, hey this is where the problem is, increase the budgetary allocation and review our education system with its various respective policies to move forward so we can all collectively progress.
An amazing feat by Government through its education initiatives policies from its Free Kindergarten with its first time guaranteed teachers pay policy through year 1-8 elementary and year 10-13 high school and its now Free Technical College Campus of which Nadroga and Navosa is the latest recipient from this wonderful vision.
What our Government is delivering to the nation was exactly what it promised all Fijians through its party manifesto pre-election that it will deliver exactly when they are voted back democratically to govern.
There is absolutely no truth in politicking or in that the FijiFirst party is campaigning in all these as claimed by the opposition party members and it is only delivering its undertakings on what a good visionary Government will always inclusively normally do.
Education, education and education, it changes many things and it is a fantastic armour.
Perhaps Government will consider after they have lowered our country’s debt levels, they might want to smartly consider Free University for all eligible Fijians after 2018, but only for those professions our country lacks the necessary numbers.
We must therefore tread very carefully and research how many large world economies have successfully or have failed in implementing such a scheme to date? We must not rush it just because we see other nations are applying and can afford to implement the same.
Right now let’s maintain our priorities through our National Budget but practically let’s live and see things through within our own means.
Our Defence Force
Neelz Singh, Lami
Day and night the officers are on duty so you can have a peaceful sleep at home. The tactics of criminals and their offences vary day to day with new and innovative ways. The defense unit with mobile and CID and other special task forces are surveying all height and corner of Fiji so they can apprehend illegal activities.
Why are they doing all this? Because of our children to be safe on every street, and towns. Don’t you want a drug free society? Don’t you