Successful fire evacuation exercise held at Larnaca Metropolis Mall

The authorities are satisfied with the fire evacuation exercise which took place at the Metropolis Mall in Larnaca.

The aim of the 13 March exercise was to assess the preparedness of stakeholders and the effectiveness of evacuation procedures in case of fire.

In addition, the exercise aimed at:

• The training of all involved (tenants, security personnel, Police, Fire Brigade, Ambulances).
• Familiarity with emergency procedures and mall spaces.
• The strengthening of cooperation between state services (Police, Fire Brigade, Ambulances) and the management of the shopping centre, for immediate and effective response to a real incident.

The exercise demonstrated the effectiveness of the mall's alarm systems, the readiness of the stakeholders involved and the excellent cooperation between the Fire Brigade, the Police and the Ambulance Service along with the Management and security guards of the Metropolis Mall

Metropolis Mall Facilities Manager, Philios Nicolaou, said that "within the framework of the mall's security policies, evacuation drills are carried out regularly in order to protect visitors and employees. Today's exercise allowed testing the contingency response plan and evaluating cooperation with government agencies."

He also stressed that "special emphasis was placed on properly guiding the public to emergency exits and assembly points, as well as on providing assistance to people with disabilities and families with young children."

The exercise was successfully completed with the extinguishing of the fire by the Fire Brigade, the safe evacuation of all attendees with the help of the security guards of the Metropolis Mall, the provision of First Aid to persons affected by smoke by the Ambulance Service and the regulation of traffic by the Police.

The management of Metropolis Mall would like to thank the Fire Brigade, the Police, the Ambulance Service and the tenants and employees of the mall for their immediate response and cooperation, underlining that "the safety of visitors and employees remains an absolute priority of Metropolis Mall".

The scenario of the exercise

According to the scenario of the exercise, around ten in the morning, a fire breaks out in the underground parking lot of the shopping centre due to a faulty vehicle. The smoke activates the smoke detection system and the security guard sends personnel to the scene, the Fire Brigade, the Ambulance Service and the Police are immediately called. Smoke from the fire spreads to a store through power cables. The emergency plan is activated, an immediate evacuation is ordered and the alarm sounds through the PA system.

Security personnel guide visitors to emergency exits and assembly points, paying particular attention to vulnerable groups. The fire brigade arrives at the scene. The mall's security staff directs them to the underground parking lot. The fire department begins extinguishing the fire. The ambulance service is responsible for providing medical assistance to people affected by the smoke. The Police control traffic and cut off access from the road to the entrance of the underground car park.

After the fire is brought under control, the Fire Brigade conducts an investigation into the cause of the fire. At the same time, the management of the mall assesses the damage and plans the reopening of the mall. After the ventilation of the facilities and the approval of the Fire Brigade, the mall reopens normally.