Each fire unleashed in Asunción and its suburbs awakens the old ghosts of Ycuá Bolaños, the tragedy that claimed almost 400 souls and left many more with indelible physical and psychological consequences. Municipalists, politicians, experts and firefighters swore that a holocaust like that would not be repeated and that they would work for the reform of fire ordinances and updating of evacuation mechanisms to minimize potential victims.
For some time, that commitment was evident, such was the impact that the tragedy produced on the citizenry. For some time… If today we ask in a supermarket where the emergency exits are, what the evacuation route is and if the smoke and heat detectors work, it is certain that we will find perplexed faces and nervous consultations with the supervisor. The solemn commitment assumed after Ycuá Bolaños included all the unions and chambers of establishments that involve a massive influx of people. The signed minutes also included the obligation to train plant personnel in evacuation procedures, with regular updating sessions.
Firefighters have an important, irreplaceable role in this scenario. And not only fighting the flames but demanding permanent supervision of prevention regulations. Did the combat personnel who came to put out the last fire in Market 4 know what was in the damaged warehouse? As soon as the emergency is declared, the owner or usufructuary of the premises must have been present with a detailed manifest of the merchandise deposited there. From this derives a series of regulations, such as the evacuation radius of the neighborhood, the product used to put out the flames, the type of protection that the personnel must use and the potential risks of secondary explosions or rekindling of the incident.
Every fire is literally a litmus test for the system. For the municipality involved, checking if the alarm and evacuation systems have worked. For business and industrial owners, test your degree of compliance with fire ordinances. It is up to firefighters, as specialized custodians, to increase the threshold of rigor of their supervision.
They know, much better than the rest, how much you risk in a fire.
