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Kuala Lumpur, 30 October 2017 – Persatuan Insurans Am Malaysia (PIAM) kicked off its General Insurance Day 2017 with an interactive Fire Safety Workshop for Children on Sat, 28 Oct 2017 at The Weld Shopping Mall.
This is in light of the recent spate of fire incidents in the country where there were loss of lives and properties, among them children. This workshop was aimed at increasing fire safety awareness among children and to educate them on some basic steps that they can take in the event of a fire.
The General Insurance Day is an annual event organized by PIAM to create public awareness on the importance of general insurance cover and protection for all consumers in Malaysia. It is also an opportunity for PIAM and its member companies, as an industry, to contribute good values to the community.
Co-organized with the Malaysian International Search and Rescue (MISAR), the workshop garnered participation of about 200 children aged between five and 11 years old.
Among the lessons taught to these children were to “stop, drop and roll”, i.e. to stop running, drop to the ground, cover their faces with their hands, and roll their bodies from side to side, in the event their clothes caught fire. This will cut off the air and put out the flames.
Being trapped in a building with thick smoke can also be terrifying as smoke inhalation can be fatal due to toxic gas that the fire emits. The kids were also trained to crawl low under the smoke for better visibility and oxygen levels, feel their way around obstacles and escape away from the heat towards a safe exit.
Many a time, the young ones may have an unconscious sibling or friend with them during a fire and so, they were shown the Fireman Drag method to help save themselves as well as their friend or friends, in such circumstances.
“We want to get the public involved and be motivated to take fire safety seriously. According to the latest data from the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (BOMBA), more than 90% of reported building fire incidents in Malaysia were accidental, meaning to say that they can be avoided. Fire safety awareness is critical to prevent loss of precious lives and property damages, said PIAM Chief Executive Officer Mr Mark Lim at the launch of the workshop.
“Residential properties recorded the highest cases of fires. Studies indicate that these residential fires commonly happened during the day, in multi-unit housing facilities. The flames were mainly caused by electrical failure or negligence starting from the kitchen. Therefore, it is imperative that parents and young children are educated on how to handle and escape from a fire.” added Mr Mark Lim.
A short briefing on escalator safety at malls was also incorporated to impress upon these youngsters and their parents to not to take things for granted during any shopping trip.
To complete the workshop, the participants were treated to a fun ride on an actual fire engine and entertained by the mascots named Sparky and Smokey.
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