[Digital Business Africa] – In a context where the availability of digital services relies on the resilience of critical infrastructure, ST Digital has demonstrated its commitment to raising its risk management standards. On Tuesday, June 10, 2025, the company organized, in partnership with the 20th fire brigade unit of Douala, a fire simulation exercise at its datacenter, with a clear objective: to test the effectiveness of procedures and strengthen a safety culture among its teams.
A realistic simulation at the heart of the system
For one hour, a realistic fire scenario was enacted within the critical facilities of the datacenter. The fire alarm triggered the immediate response of internal security teams, followed by the arrival of firefighters 15 minutes later.
The applicable process was followed:
- evacuation of staff to secured areas,
- identification of the fire source by firefighters,
- activation of fire control and suppression procedures.
"Fire safety is one of the primary risks for a data center," recalled Jean-Francis Ahanda, CEO of the ST Digital data center.
"WE ARE INVESTING HEAVILY IN EARLY DETECTION AND AUTOMATIC SUPPRESSION SYSTEMS, BUT THE KEY REMAINS THE REGULAR TRAINING AND DRILLING OF OUR TEAMS. THIS EXERCISE ALLOWS US TO TEST OUR RESPONSE MECHANISM UNDER NEAR-REAL CONDITIONS."
Feedback: strengths and areas for improvement
The post-exercise debriefing highlighted several positive points:
- team dynamism and responsiveness,
- strict application of evacuation procedures,
- self-control and absence of panic.
Among the areas for improvement highlighted by firefighters:
- do not evacuate with equipment (computers, personal belongings),
- better formalise and materialise assembly points to ensure accurate headcounts in the event of a crisis,
- continue internal training campaigns.
Firefighter exercise
As specified by, SOC Director & Services Manager:
"FOR ST DIGITAL, THIS WAS A FIRST. THE EVACUATION WAS WELL CONDUCTED, WITHOUT PANIC. WE STILL NEED TO BETTER FORMALISE THE ASSEMBLY POINT SO THAT EVERYONE KNOWS EXACTLY WHERE TO GO."
Awareness and embedding of a security culture
Feedback from participants confirms the value of this type of exercise:
Rolande Kana, cybersecurity analyst, noted the importance of remaining at the assembly point to enable complete personnel tracking.
DE SONGWA Tchinda Pierre Sébastien, Lead Infrastructure Datacenter Services, emphasized the importance of integrating these reflexes into the company's daily culture.
"WITH REGULAR PRACTICE, EVERYONE WILL KNOW HOW TO ACT INSTINCTIVELY IN THE EVENT OF AN ALARM BEING TRIGGERED."
Lieutenant Gnoundji Wilfried, of the 201st fire company, commended the dynamism of the teams while reiterating the essential safety guidelines:
"DO NOT PANIC. FOLLOW THE IDENTIFIED GUIDES. DO NOT EVACUATE WITH THE MACHINES. THESE ARE SIMPLE BUT ESSENTIAL REFLEXES TO ENSURE COLLECTIVE SAFETY."
Objective: service continuity and risk management
By investing in advanced detection systems and well-tested procedures, ST Digital demonstrates its commitment to guaranteeing its clients high availability of digital services, even in the face of major risks.
"Yes, these systems are costly, but they are an essential investment to maintain our clients' trust and ensure the continuity of our critical services," concluded Jean-Francis Ahanda.
Now scheduled every six months, this exercise is part of a global strategy to secure digital infrastructures in Cameroun, as the country continues its transition towards an increasingly digitalised economy.