Surprise fire drill at HSBC
By Sang Dewi

As Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC) staff streamed out of their four-storey building at Jalan Sultan on Thursday, some said it was a bomb. Some were sure it was a bank robbery. Others were certain it was a fire.

But it was none of them; it was simply a fire drill.

First, two fire engines rushed to the scene. Then came an ambulance to pick up a man, who supposedly suffered from smoke inhalation, with a stretcher. It was pure drama for bystanders when firemen began to work on extinguishing the fire while traffic police steered motorists away from the scene.

Meanwhile, bank staff were gathered at Sir Omar Ali Saifudien Padang for headcount.

A top bank official said the drill had been kept a secret from bank staff, adding that "only a handful of us knew beforehand".

The emergency drill saw some 34 firefighters including seven firemen from the Marine Fire Station, 11 from the Berakas Fire Station and 16 from Bandar Seri Begawan Fire Station. All were headed by their commanding officers.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin