Undertaking the responsibility of safeguarding Macau’s network and communications services, CTM always pays close intention to the safety and integrity of core network infrastructure, with a well-established and constant safety mechanism, CTM successfully ensures the stable and quality provision of overall telecom services in Macau. In view of the fire incidents happened in neighbouring regions that caused interruption of telecom services, CTM immediately reviewed and upgraded the original internal fire prevention guidelines to prevent similar incidents to happen.
CTM invited Fire Services Bureau for consultation of fire prevention and disaster mitigation mechanism against core telecom network infrastructure. With the positive response from the Fire Services Bureau, inspectors conducted site inspection at the Telecentro Building in Taipa to review the fire prevention facilities, building structure and core network area, and formulated a joint incident contingency mechanism to reinforce fire prevention solution of the building.
On March 3rd, CTM and Fire Services Bureau jointly organized a fire drill, simulating that the temperature monitor in one set of power supply equipment on the 2F in Telecentro building was malfunction and failed to trigger alarm, meanwhile, resulting the temperature of the equipment keep rising and caused smoke, which then triggered the fire alarm, and gaseous fire extinguishing system was activated. After the gaseous fire suppression was completed and checked no flame but only little smoke within that area was observed through CCTV, after taking the preset procedures, a staff member from infrastructure team went into the site and found that the temperature of the equipment was still rising and smoke kept running out, the staff attempted to use CO2 fire extinguisher to lower the temperature but failed, consequently the staff felt unwell because of smoke inhalation. CTM immediately reported to the Fire Services Bureau.
The drill was conducted at 10:30am. Around 500 staff members inside of the 16-floor Telecentro followed the set fire and emergency guideline and the instruction given by the fire wardens, evacuated to a safe outdoor location in an orderly manner after the fire alarm was on. The Fire Bureau dispatched several fire engines and ambulance to the site after received the call, after briefing by CTM fire & emergency team, the fire fighters went up to the 2nd floor to handle the situation and evacuated the injured staff.
The fire drill was carried out smoothly and completed in about 1 hour and achieved the expected purpose. Both parties held a review meeting to optimize the coordination in dealing with emergencies in the future to further improve the emergency response plan of CTM.
Thomas Ng, Vice President of Network Service of CTM said, CTM attaches great importance to the safety of telecom infrastructure and network facilities, CTM buildings has equipped with up-to-standard fire extinguishment equipment, for Data Center, Network Management Center and core network area, have been using industrial high standard gaseous extinguishing system, as to ensure the stable provision of overall telecom network service with high quality. Besides of that, CTM also focus on occupational safety education of staff members, except regular fire drills and internal safety inspections, education activities against fire safety would be conducted to reinforce staff members’ safety awareness and resilience to any emergency incidents.
He said that the joint drill with the Fire Bureau is to enhance the capability and sensibility in putting out fire in a complex environment in a faster and more precise manner in order to ensure that public telecom services will not be interrupted. With the great support from the Fire Services Bureau, the Public Security Police Force and the Transport Bureau, the drill completed smoothly.
