Thread: Bangkok: Exploding fire extinguisher kills student and injures 5 others

a few years ago, the niti at our condo organised a fire drill with the local fire department.

on the appointed day the fire people turned up and set up their equipment whilst the office staff, the cleaners, the pool crew and members of the committee, which included me, gathered round to watch and hopefully learn.

after a few vanilla demonstrations of how to put out a smokey barbecue, a fire in a waste paper basket and a burning rag, with hand held fire extinguishers, they ratcheted it up to 11 and moved on to out of control flaming petrol cans and cooking gas gas cylinders.

one demo involved turning a gas cylinder on to full and then igniting it with a lighted petrol soaked rag.

a noisy mega flame shot out about 20 meters and a volunteer was invited to step forward and turn off the gas. everyone looked nervous but the office manager in his bravery invited (commanded) the most junior member of the office, a rather shy young girl, to step up and turn it off. the poor thing could not risk losing face in front of everybody and duly stepped forward to the cylinder to try and turn the gas off at the wheel thing on the valve. she yelped in pain as she touched the very hot wheel and the cylinder fell over, the flame now shot vertically upwards, it could easily have landed in such a way that the flame would have been directed horizontally and immolated the now frightened spectators. a member of the fire brigade donned his asbestos gloves, put on his visor and turned off the roaring inferno.

by this time, your truly was standing well back. health and safety, even during health and safety training events, are way down the bottom of the list with the thais.

^ My take away is buy asbestos gloves but Lazada don't seem to have them

Tax, we have the same drill but without the pyrotechnic lunacy. However, we do have conflagrations and everyone takes their turn to use the extinguisher amid much laughter and faux shrieks. Like pretty much everything to do with practical learning in this country it basically becomes a game and an opportunity for sanook otherwise boredom intrudes. We pay the fire service to execute the same demo every year which repeats the same palaver to the same staff. I did suggest that a video must be available somewhere explaining the rudiments of fire prevention and fighting different types of fire with the appropriate extinguisher which might obviate the need for the annual firefest but they looked at me as if I wanted to ban songkran.

They truly are children.

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

Tax, we have the same drill but without the pyrotechnic lunacy. However, we do have conflagrations and everyone takes their turn to use the extinguisher amid much laughter and faux shrieks. Like pretty much everything to do with practical learning in this country it basically becomes a game and an opportunity for sanook otherwise boredom intrudes. We pay the fire service to execute the same demo every year which repeats the same palaver to the same staff. I did suggest that a video must be available somewhere explaining the rudiments of fire prevention and fighting different types of fire with the appropriate extinguisher which might obviate the need for the annual firefest but they looked at me as if I wanted to ban songkran.

They truly are children.

To be fair safety training every year is not an out of this world thing. I have to chuck a floaty at a pretend child every year despite how long I've been at the company.

Perhaps the populace could start with learning how and why to use a motorcycle helmet, before moving onto things that explode.

there was a thread this morning about a drill to catch naughty chimps should they escape from a zoo.

2 thais garbed in monkey suits, furry ears and with monkey features painted on their fucking faces doubled as the unfortunate primates and were duly "captured" by a crew of smirking boy scouts.

it's all beyond belief!

Originally Posted by Edmond

Perhaps the populace could start with learning how and why to use a motorcycle helmet, before moving onto things that explode.

Very sound advice there!

Originally Posted by thailazer

Very sound advice there!

you mean the laws and instruction they are provided before they get a license, the ones that don't get strictly enforced and if they did would likely lead to lower idiocy.

Originally Posted by taxexile

there was a thread this morning about a drill to catch naughty chimps should they escape from a zoo.

2 thais garbed in monkey suits, furry ears and with monkey features painted on their fucking faces doubled as the unfortunate primates and were duly "captured" by a crew of smirking boy scouts.

it's all beyond belief!

To be fair, that’s how the Thai-Chinese regard Isaan Thai, simian serfs to be trained to accept indentured slavery and subservience to their hiso masters.

We have an annual fire drill with the fire dept. too. We always start in our classrooms. While I make sure that my students know how to drop and roll and how to smother a fire using a jacket or any other handy fabric, the Thai teachers tell their students to cover their heads with plastic bags when running out of a burning building??!!

I guess they think that the bag will prevent smoke inhalation and will somehow not melt or burn!

BMA suspends all fire drills, recalls demonstration fire extinguishers for safety checks

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt has ordered the suspension of all fire drills at schools, private and government offices until all equipment is checked to ensure safety and all demonstration fire extinguishers are recalled for safety checks.


The governor has also ordered a revamp of fire drill protocols. For example, only empty fire extinguishers will be used, no CO2 will be used during the demonstrations and, if the drill is taking place in a school compound, students will watch it from school buildings on the second or third floor for their safety. Instead, a video presentation will be provided so students and the public in general can learn what to do in case of a fire.


Governor Chadchart said today (Saturday) that he has instructed all fire stations in Bangkok, district offices and community leaders to check their chemical fire extinguishers for expiry dates and whether they need to be replaced.


He also said that he has instructed all fire stations not to use demonstration fire extinguishers from the other stations or from outside, because they have already have their own.


One student at Rachawinit School was killed and ten students and firemen were injured when a fire extinguisher burst during a fire drill at the school on Friday.


Police said that three fire drill officials are to be charged with negligence.


Deputy Bangkok Governor Dr. Tavida Kamolvej said that a fact-finding investigation is under way, to ascertain the actual cause of the accident, adding that she was told by firemen involved in fire drills that such an incident has never happened before.

BMA suspends all fire drills, recalls demonstration fire extinguishers for safety checks | Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world

Originally Posted by misskit

Police said that three fire drill officials are to be charged with negligence.


Deputy Bangkok Governor Dr. Tavida Kamolvej said that a fact-finding investigation is under way, to ascertain the actual cause of the accident,

No need to wait for the results before charging the fire officials.

Safety concerns prompt people to dump their fire extinguishers

Dry chemical fire extinguishers are being found at garbage dumps or near fire stations in Bangkok, after their owners became concerned over their safety, according to Thirayuth Phumisak, director of the Public Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).


The sudden concern over the safety of fire extinguishers began after a fire drill accident on Friday at the Rachawinit School, during which one fire extinguisher, filled with carbon dioxide, burst, killing a student and injuring 10 other people.


Thirayuth said today (Sunday) that a number of people had called his office, offering to return fire extinguishers because they doubt about their safety, adding that he has instructed firemen at every fire station in the capital to assure people in crowded communities that the fire extinguishers, which have been installed there by the BMA, contain a dry chemical, unlike the fire extinguishers used for demonstrations, which contain with carbon dioxide.


He also said that, if people are unsure of their safety, they can contact the BMA or the Office of Public Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and officials will be sent to check the extinguishers.

Safety concerns prompt people to dump their fire extinguishers | Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world

I wonder how many owners actually have their extinguishers checked on a regular basis?

(I don't really).