Learning how to prevent fires and escape safely helps students respond appropriately in emergencies, protect themselves, assist others and remain calm when fires or explosions occur.

In reality, a fire can start from causes closely linked to everyday life, such as electrical short circuits, careless use of electrical appliances, heat sources or open flames, or incidents in crowded places. For students, a lack of knowledge and response skills, combined with panic in an emergency, can increase safety risks. Schools bring large numbers of students together at the same time. Therefore, alongside developing fire prevention and firefighting plans and equipping schools with on-site firefighting equipment, it is crucial to give teachers and students the skills they need to respond to emergencies. Learning how to identify emergency exits, move safely through smoke, raise the alarm, call emergency services, use a fire extinguisher and provide basic first aid can all prove critical when an emergency occurs.

In response to this need, the Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue Police Division has worked with educational institutions to organize a range of safety education, experiential learning and hands-on training activities at schools. Rather than relying solely on one-way instruction, these programs place greater emphasis on practice, putting students in realistic simulated situations so they can observe, perform the necessary actions and retain the skills.

At Him Lam Secondary School in Mường Thanh ward, a special training session was held on the school grounds with more than 1,000 teachers, staff and students taking part. Instead of a conventional classroom lesson, students were introduced by officers from the Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue Police Division to basic fire safety regulations, common causes and risks of fires and explosions, and how to detect, raise the alarm and respond to an incident. They learned how to escape from areas filled with smoke or toxic gases, choose safe escape routes, assist people in distress and remember key principles for avoiding panic in an unexpected emergency.

Cao Thị Đại, Principal of Him Lam Secondary School, said: “The fire prevention, firefighting and rescue training session was part of the school’s plan developed at the beginning of the academic year. We see this as more than an awareness-raising activity. It gives teachers and students an opportunity to practice at school, become familiar with emergency response procedures and learn how to use the firefighting equipment available on campus. This gives students more practical skills to deal with emergencies in real-life situations.”

Holding practical training at school allows safety education to be directly connected with the spaces where students study and spend their daily lives. According to Lieutenant Colonel Trần Thanh Bình, Deputy Head of the Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue Police Division, this is one of the clearest advantages of conducting hands-on training at schools.

“When training takes place at school, students can directly familiarize themselves with the surroundings, emergency exits and firefighting equipment available on campus. If a fire or explosion occurs, they will know where the equipment is, how to use it and which direction to take to stay safe. Hands-on practice helps them retain these skills much longer than simply listening to safety instructions,” Lieutenant Colonel Trần Thanh Bình said.

Under the guidance of officers from the Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue Police Division, groups of students took turns practicing with portable fire extinguishers, from removing the safety pin and choosing a safe position to aiming the nozzle at the fire. They also practiced handling a water hose nozzle, escaping using an inclined rope bridge and rope ladder, and responding to several simulated rescue situations.

Nguyễn Nhật Minh, a sixth-grade student in class 6A1 at Him Lam Secondary School, said: “Before today, I had only seen fire extinguishers in pictures. Today, the police officers showed us how to hold one and how to put out a fire. I also got to practice escaping, which I found very useful. I learned that when there is a fire, I need to stay calm, find a safe way out and immediately alert an adult or the emergency services.”

Hands-on fire safety and rescue training is now being organized at schools across the province. At Lương Thế Vinh Secondary and High School in Điện Biên Phủ ward, with an emphasis on increasing practical training time, teachers and students were introduced by specialists to fire and explosion scenarios they could encounter in everyday life, as well as how to identify risks, escape safely and use basic firefighting equipment. After the demonstrations, students performed the procedures themselves under the supervision of trained personnel. In each scenario, they were shown common mistakes and how to correct them.

Senior Captain Nguyễn Thế Hoàn, Deputy Team Leader of the Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue Team, said students were trained in using fire extinguishers, tackling small fires at an early stage, escaping safely and carrying out basic rescue and emergency response. “Once they have practiced these skills, students can more easily visualize what to do and are more likely to remain calm if they encounter a similar situation in real life,” he said.

For schools, the activities are not merely extracurricular sessions but also an opportunity to reinforce safety skills among both teachers and students. Nguyễn Hà An, a student at Lương Thế Vinh Secondary and High School, said: “I found the training very useful. When I actually held a fire extinguisher and followed the instructions, I realized that the procedures were not too difficult, but you have to remember the correct sequence and stay calm.”

For fire safety skills to be truly effective, safety education needs to be conducted regularly, combined with hands-on practice and tailored to students’ different age groups. When students can recognize hazards, know how to escape, use firefighting equipment and remain calm in an emergency, what they learn gradually becomes an essential life skill. This provides an important foundation for schools to take a more proactive approach to risk prevention and create a safer learning environment.