SLAF FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE ENHANCES EMERGENCY RESPONSE READINESS THROUGH ANNUAL EVACUATION DRILL
The Fire and Rescue Service of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) successfully conducted the Annual Fire Evacuation Drill at the Headquarters of Development Holding (Pvt) Ltd (DHPL), Nawam Mawatha, Colombo 02, on 21 August 2026, with the aim of enhancing emergency preparedness, strengthening inter-agency coordination and assessing operational readiness in high-rise fire and rescue scenarios.
The exercise was conducted at the 16-storey NDB-EDB Tower, approximately 60 metres in height, simulating an electrical fire on the 10th floor with multiple personnel trapped within the affected area. SLAF deployed two fire tenders and 34 firefighters, who demonstrated specialised capabilities in Breathing Apparatus (BA) smoke diving, casualty evacuation and technical rope rescue operations. The drill was conducted under the guidance of the Director General Air Operations, Air Vice Marshal Dhammika Dias and supervised by the Chief Fire Officer, Group Captain Prasanna Jayawickrama.
The exercise was conducted at the 16-storey NDB-EDB Tower, approximately 60 metres in height, simulating an electrical fire on the 10th floor with multiple personnel trapped within the affected area. SLAF deployed two fire tenders and 34 firefighters, who demonstrated specialised capabilities in Breathing Apparatus (BA) smoke diving, casualty evacuation and technical rope rescue operations. The drill was conducted under the guidance of the Director General Air Operations, Air Vice Marshal Dhammika Dias and supervised by the Chief Fire Officer, Group Captain Prasanna Jayawickrama.
