In step with the autumn national fire-prevention campaign (this time March 9–15), the autumn all-hands fire drill of the joint fire- and disaster-prevention council of all Palaceside Building tenants was held recently on the roof and elsewhere. 478 people from 102 tenant and building workplaces took part.
At 2:30 p.m. an in-building announcement (Japanese and English) that "an earthquake of intensity upper 6 has occurred" start
ed the drill. They confirmed "body protection" such as taking cover under desks. After the shaking, each tenant ran first steps: check the fire source, grasp the damage. Then, with a fire on the eighth floor spreading, an evacuation advisory went out and tenants used emergency stairs down to the first floor =photo right is the east first-floor elevator hall.
Then they went to the roof and lined up =photo below. After an explanation of the procedure they tried several menus.
In the yellow-tent "smoke-experience house" they simulated being wrapped in smoke at a fire =top photo. The smoke is a harmless chemical but
visibility inside is almost zero; participants cried "I can't see ahead at all" at the "terror."
They also worked hard at full hose drills with indoor hydrants =photo left, initial extinguishing with extinguishers, AED CPR under Kojimachi firefighters =photos below left, and stretcher rescue with a human-weight dummy =photos below right=.
In front of the west entrance they also felt intensity 7 in a "shake car" borrowed from the Tokyo Fire Department.
The drill ended in about an hour. Kojimachi Fire Station Prevention Section Chief Abe summed up: "What you can do in a drill you often cannot when a disaster really hits. That is why it is important to check the steps over and over in daily life."
Thank you, everyone who took part.
