CalBank : Conducts Fire Simulation Exercise at Tamale Branch

• November 11, 2022

CalBank PLC has been very consistent in educating and creating safety awareness campaigns for its staff and customers. On Thursday, November 10 2022, the Bank conducted a fire simulation exercise at its Tamale Branch, located at Sakasaka near the Moshi Zongo in the Northern Region. The exercise was conducted to test how well staff and customers of the Bank will respond to fire emergency cases in real life situations. It was also by extension to test how responsive the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) is, in case of fire outbreaks.

Speaking to the media after the exercise, the Security Coordinator at CalBank, Thomas Addae Nketia said the exercise is part of the GNFS regulations for institutions to organize fire drills for its staff each year, adding that CalBank decided to take a step further by organizing a simulation exercise.

"Essentially, the purpose of the exercise was meant to test how well our staff and customers will respond in case of real fire. It's part of the fire service regulations that institutions such as ours should on yearly basis organize fire drills for their staff but we went a step further by doing the simulation exercise that you saw," he explained.

Mr. Thomas Addae Nketia also advised staff and customers to halt any transaction they are engaged in and exit the bank anytime the emergency fire alarm system blows.

"When you are in the building and you hear the fire alarm blowing, please you have no business staying in the room. Whatever it is that you are doing, you must leave and take care of your life first," he added.

Thomas Addae Nketia commended the fire Service for its swift response to the distressed call. He said the exercise is the third of similar activities organized in the Bank's branches in Accra and Kumasi.

Chief Risk Officer at CalBank, Barbara Banson said staff and customers are the bank's priority therefore we needed to sensitize them on fire safety protocols.

"I belief that if there is fire in this bank, it is not just the bank that will suffer, we have people around, the community that we interact with, our immediate neighbors and all that. If for nothing, there will be smoke, they will inhale smoke or even if the fire should extend to other properties, there will be some form of damages to these properties as well and we don't want that to happen," Madam Barbara remarked.

She said some objectives set for the exercise was achieved but not without some gaps, which she said management has taken note of and will address accordingly. She also urged staff and management of the bank not to let their guard down because the exercise is just one of many to be witnessed.

"We have learnt our lessons. Maybe some people were not paying attention or something like that, we will fix all these gaps and make sure that the next time we conduct the simulation, we will get at least 90 percent results from the objectives that we have set for ourselves," she added.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the GNFS Baba Hudu who led the team sensitize the public on some fire safety measures to take when transacting business at a bank.

The PRO expressed the team's readiness to respond to distress calls, urging the public to call on the fire emergency numbers: 191 or 192 whenever there is an emergency.