ECONUMA: Fire resilience: Fire simulation drill at the ST Digital Douala datacenter

ST Digital Douala datacenter fire drill: evacuation, areas for improvement and staff training to test its resilience against fire.

An unfiltered drill at the ST Digital datacenter

On Tuesday 10 June 2025, ST Digital invited the 20th firefighters' unit of Douala to a fire simulation exercise at its datacenter. Objective: to verify the effectiveness of procedures, the responsiveness of teams and coordination with emergency services. You will discover how the exercise unfolded, its strengths, its shortcomings and the resulting recommendations.

The fire drill: procedure and objectives

Triggering and evacuation

• At 9:30 a.m. the alarm sounds.
• Evacuation in under 5 minutes, without jostling or panic.
• Quick assembly in front of the building.

Fire brigade intervention

• Delivered within 15 min, compliant with local standards.
• Control room team leader for immediate debriefing.
• Installation of fire suppression equipment on the exterior.

H2: Equipment and staff training

Jean-Francis Ahanda, General Manager of the ST Digital Douala datacenter, states:

"This system is expensive, but cost is not what we look at," states J-F Ahanda. "The objective remains to guarantee high availability of services to our clients."

Areas for improvement in evacuation

Assembly point signage

Lieutenant Gnoundji Wilfried emphasises:

• Absence of clear labelling;
• Several employees did not know where to gather.

Reflexes to strengthen

• An employee attempted to take their machine;
• Some are still uncertain about the exact procedure.

Testimonials: between satisfaction and learning

Bille Samuel, SOC Director and Services Manager, commends the initiative: "This is a first for the ST Digital data center. The exercise was well conducted. We were able to evacuate calmly."

Rolande Kana, cybersecurity analyst, shares her awareness:

I understood the importance of staying at the assembly point. The usual reflex would be to go home, but one must ensure that everyone who entered has indeed come out.

Recommendations and next steps

Pierre Sébastien De Songwa Tchinda, Lead Infrastructure Datacenter Services, proposes:

• Immediate marking of the assembly point.
• Regular training sessions every six months.
• Enhanced briefings for every new arrival.

• Ongoing collaboration with firefighters.

towards a tangible security culture

The ST Digital Douala Datacenter emerges from this exercise with encouraging indicators and a few reminders. As a client or partner, you will primarily retain two key facts:

1. Coordination with the fire department is operational.

2. Basic practices still require repetition.

3. In six months, a new simulation will verify whether the commitments made have been honoured. We will be on-site to verify and keep you informed.

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A brief fire safety glossary

Rear guard: This is the person at the end of the group. Their role is to ensure that all staff have evacuated the area, to close doors (without locking them) and to verify that no employee has been left behind.

Queue leader: This is the person at the head of the group. Their role is to lead the way, show the evacuation route, and guide staff to the assembly point.

Source:  Source: Econuma | Fire Resilience: Fire Simulation at the ST Digital Douala Data Centre