Smoke on Level 3 During the Matinee
It is 15:10 on a busy Saturday at a four-level shopping mall in Penang. About 600 patrons are inside, including a cinema on Level 3. You are the guard at the ground-floor lobby when the fire alarm activates for Level 3. The panel shows a smoke detector alarm in Zone 3 and a fault on Zone 5. You can smell smoke, and shoppers begin filming with their phones. The mall has two passenger lifts, one escalator from ground to Level 1, and a designated assembly area in Car Park B. The fire brigade has not arrived. A shop manager asks whether he should use the hose reel in his unit before evacuating. A woman with a pram is crying near the lift, and the escalator is crowded.
1. What are your first actions on hearing the alarm and smelling smoke?
Read the worked answer
Treat the alarm as real until proven otherwise. Call 999/Bomba immediately and give the mall name, address, level, Zone 3 smoke detector and the smell of smoke. Activate the building's evacuation alarm or announcement and notify the fire control room and management. Send a second guard to investigate Zone 3 only if it is safe and the guard is paired, but do not delay evacuation. Keep the fire brigade access route clear. Record the time of the alarm, the panel indications and your actions. The fault on Zone 5 must also be reported to the fire safety manager, because a fault can mean a disabled detector. Do not silence the alarm before the cause is confirmed.
2. How should you manage evacuation, especially the lifts, escalator and the woman with the pram?
Read the worked answer
Evacuate via the nearest protected staircase, not the lifts. Lifts must not be used because they can stop on the fire floor and trap people; the escalator is also a poor choice once crowded and should be stopped or controlled. Direct people away from the smoke, use the ground-floor exits, and send mobility-impaired people to a refuge area with a guard if they cannot use the stairs. For the woman with the pram, help her leave the pram if necessary and carry the child, or direct her to a safe exit; do not let her wait by the lift. Guide everyone to Car Park B, keep lanes clear for Bomba, and do floor sweeps only if safe. Do not re-enter for belongings.
3. Should the shop manager use the hose reel before evacuating? Explain your answer.
Read the worked answer
He should not use the hose reel unless he is trained, the fire is small, and he has a clear escape route behind him. A hose reel is not a toy; smoke can overcome him and water can spread some fires. The priority is life safety and evacuation. He should close the shop door if it is safe, leave via the stairs and report to the assembly area. The Zone 5 fault should be logged and reported to the fire safety manager and Bomba, because a faulty zone may mean the alarm did not sound there. After the incident, do not reset the panel until the fire brigade authorises it.