Fire In The Victoria Tower Building on Ave. Samuel Lewis

This should be a strong warning to everyone who lives in high-rises here in Panama.

"The fire department arrived on the scene but firemen were unable to immediately extinguish the blaze because the nearest hydrant was several meters away and they did not have a special pump truck required to reach high floors"

Does anyone know if Panama City has trucks of that nature, and for some reason they didn't dispatch it to this particular scene?

I'd highly recommend assuming that you are pretty much on your rown when it comes to putting out a fire in your own condo, and worse, getting out of the building if something disastrous should occur.

There are numerous products that can be invaluable in situations like these. Please note that I do not endorse any of these specific products. These are only examples of what is available:

• Emergency Escape Smoke Hood
• High Rise Escape System I don't know if Don still has anything to do with this, but it's a good example nonetheless!
• Simple things light waterproof flashlights. I like the various Magnum products that are made of steel and have a heavy ball on the handle end that is perfect for safely smashing windows.
• Fire Extinguishers. I'd recommend having a 15lb CO2 extinguisher, as well as a couple smaller, more portable devices that can be used in clearing your path when you are skedaddle'ing away.
• First aid kit. Duh
• Simple heavy leather gloves are invaluable.

Again, this is not meant to be a tutorial or catch-all list or anything like that. If I lived in a high-rise, I'd try to be prepared, as I don't think you can count on rescue in the event of a serious problem.