Fire drill tragedy sparks aid: Bangkok education ministry offers financial support to grieving family
Following the tragic death of an 18-year-old student at a school in Bangkok last Friday, the Education Ministry revealed it will provide financial assistance to the victim’s family. The boy died during a fire drill activity intended to ensure school safety when a fire extinguisher exploded.
Atthapol Sangkhawasi, the permanent secretary for education, along with Niyom Phaisopha, director-general of Bangkok Secondary Educational Service Area Office 1, and Theprit Yodsai, the school’s director, offered financial assistance to the bereaved family. The financial aid provided to the family of the deceased boy, identified as Khumthong “Benz” Premmanee, totalled 235,000 baht.
In accordance with their commitment to school safety, a sum of 200,000 baht as life insurance was provided through the school, combined with an additional 30,000 baht from the Education Ministry following the student’s death. A further 5,000 baht was given to his family members by the permanent secretary’s office, reported Bangkok Post.
Additionally, to support school safety, the ministry provided financial aid of 5,000 baht each to the families of the injured pupils. A team of psychiatrists is due to be invited to the school, aiming to offer support and assistance when the institution reopens.
Atthapol Sangkhawasi stated that measures have been taken to ensure the safety of students, including a comprehensive review of fire safety equipment across all schools. He also emphasised the need for extra caution during the enactment of fire drills or any activities that may pose a risk to school safety.
Responding to the incident and prioritizing school safety, Bunjong Sukritha, secretary-general of the Thailand Industrial Standards Institute (TISI), outlined the approved Thai Industrial Standards for three types of fire extinguishers; foam extinguishers, dry chemical compound extinguishers, and carbon dioxide extinguishers.
He confirmed that the fire extinguisher involved in the tragic explosion at the school was a carbon dioxide type, identifiable by the lack of a TSI sign on the packaging. As per his statements, the TISI has not placed carbon dioxide extinguishers on the list of controlled goods, resulting in TISI approval not being a mandatory requirement due to the relative unpopularity and inefficient nature of this type of extinguisher. Following the unfortunate incident, the TISI is set to reassess the standardisation of carbon dioxide extinguishers to foster school safety.
