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Fire Protection And Doing It Properly
Fire protection for anyone or any company is only as good as it is used properly and fitted properly. Many homes and flats, hotels and hospitals are not up to speed nor is their equipment being maintained in a proper fashion. Everyone should feel safe when in their own home or in their place of business, but if the equipment or procedures is not kept up, then it is the fault of the owner/operator.
For example, hotels and tourist spots are infamous for not having the proper equipment maintenance or procedures followed. In September of 2007 a covert investigation was carried out by the BBCs Inside Out South West programme. It was undertaken because of the devastating fire at the Penhallow Hotel which had claimed three lives. Many hotels in the tourism regions were sadly lacking in the fire prevention safeguards. Thirteen out of 14 hotels were judged to be unsatisfactory by an independent consultant.
In his findings, fire doors which should be kept shut at all times, were wedged open and could not be closed. Fire exits were obstructed by furnishings and would not have allowed for easy exit in case of a fire. The fire escapes were found to be useless and unacceptable. Because of his findings, the Fire Service was alerted and the worst offenders had to bring their hotel up to grade and be further inspected.
Other three-star hotels also had fire protection code violations, which required upgrade. In one hotel, the fire escape had corroded and another sited next to an open kitchen and bedroom window, should have been sealed shut to protect escapees from fire. In yet another hotel, the inspector found that the fire-escape route went right through a guest bedroom which had been kept locked. In some cases the fire escape bedroom keys were kept locked in smash-glass boxes.
The biggest problem lies with the fire service shifting the responsibility of inspections to the hotel owners. However, most hoteliers argued that they were ill-equipped to carry out such inspections or to hire a consultant to do so.
Retrograde of any hotel or institution should be paramount in the area of fire protection, far more than new paint or furniture. So the problem will remain one of who is responsible and who is best qualified to carry out the upgrades to prevent any further loss of life? Perhaps, shifting the onus of responsibility in this regard away from the hotelier is the best way forward.
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