QCOSTARICA – Many were surprised last night to see smoke coming out of the top of the Banco Nacional building, surrounded by fire trucks and a myriad of emergency vehicles, in the heart of San Jose.
It was all a simulation.
It was around 9:30pm Wednesday night when the fire drill went off on the 19th floor of the tall building, testing firefighters and other emergency response teams, in the event of a real emergency.
Hector Chaves, head of the Bomberos de Costa Rica, explained at least four fire companies, with firefighters from various areas of the Central Valley, were involved in the simulation.
Chaves added that the simulation tested the responsiveness of the Bomberos to react in a “rare” situation.
The firefighters passed the test with flying colours.
Every month the Bomberos chooses a different place for a different emergency drill.