Fire Drill on Evacuating People from a Multi-Story Building Held in Sofia

Joint teams of the Military Medical Academy and the Firefighting Department conducted an exercise on 22^nd of June on evacuating and rescuing people from a fire in a multi-storey building.

In the scenario of the exercise, six people were evacuated from a “burning” building with the help of specialised equipment. All emergency exits were tested. One of the people being “rescued” was taken down with a mechanical ladder from the seventh floor of the Military Medical Academy. The ladder is 40 metres high and is the only one in Sofia.

The “fire” was contained within 5 minutes and the total evacuation took 12 minutes.

Commissioner Vassil Angelov, head of the fourth regional firefighting department in Sofia, said that in the case of a fire in a tall building, the so called critical point for firefighters was the 30 to 40 metre limit.

“Recently in the city of London there was a fire in a tall building and this here is one of the most significant hospitals in the country and falls in the category of tall buildings. What is important and everyone should know is to remain calm and not to panic. The firefighting teams and equipment reacted 40 to 60 seconds after the signal was given,” Angelov explained.