Deadly fire sweeps Ecuador club

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Title – Deadly fire sweeps Ecuador club
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 20th April 2008

The stronger our health & safety laws and enforcement gets in the UK the less likely this sort of tragedy will occur on our shores, but complacency is probably as great a threat as fire itself. The less fatal fires we have in the UK, the less the topic remains at the forefront of our activities and that it precisely where it should be.

Although tragic fires with high death tolls are more common in the developing world, they are certainly not a thing of the past here in the UK. The alarming factor is that almost every time we see a report of a fatal fire in a premises such as a night club or other entertainment venue the causes of the high fatality rates almost identical. The number of fire reports that incidentally remark that the ‘fire exits were locked’ is almost unbelievable and the reason often given for them being locked is to prevent people from getting in without paying.

Analyse these reasons and excuses and the fact is simple, people lock their fire exits to protect income and because it is cheaper or ‘easier’ then providing other effective solutions such as manning the exit or installing technology (alarms, CCTV etc.). This most short sighted approach is literally criminal.

Fire is a killer, it has been since time began and always will be; but it doesn’t need to be inevitable. Many serious fires occur every year without a single injury being sustained, we have excellent safety regulations in the UK supported by an exceptional and professional fire service. So why is it that public venues are still so naïve to fire safety regulations and so complacent to the risks of fire?

The general public take for granted and trust owners and managers of public venues with their safety and do so blindly; therefore owners and managers have to accept the responsibility and take it extremely seriously. Fire safety in its basic form is not a complicated subject and very simple measures can be extremely effective. It astonishes me that in this enlightened age I can still find venues, offices, public buildings and any host of places where fire safety measures which should comply with The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 either are completely ignorant as to their responsibilities or criminally negligent

All public premises and places of work need to carry out a Fire Risk Assessment on their premises and reassess the risk on a regular basis. This is a very effective measure, not only to set up systems and equipment to reduce the risk from fire but it educates those responsible for fire safety and others within the organisation of the best practice.

Risk Assessments are often seen as a bureaucratic necessity, at Beyond The Blue, we make them a practical resource. A resource that makes the process easy to complete and easy to pass on to all those using your facilities. Many people will contract out their risk assessment, and file the resulting document, a process that is a waste of time and money. We work with organisations to provide a working document that explains the reasons we for our recommendations and the way that the organisation and individuals within it, can resolve any failings and implement change organisation wide.

Our fire safety courses compliment this process, not only providing candidates with effective fire safety advice, but also covering venue specific emergency evacuation training.
Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk