Airport Fire System Is A Disaster In Waiting

[sriracha john]

Report: Airport fire system disaster in waiting

The fire prevention system at Suvarnabhumi airport is substandard, a team of engineers has concluded in a report. The report, completed by experts at the Engineering Institute of Thailand, is to reach the Airports of Thailand today. According to the report, fire-fighting equipment as well as installation and maintenance are below standard. Besides this, smoke and heat detectors and sprinklers do not cover every area of the passenger terminal. Areas that are not covered include some electrical control rooms, corridors and conveyor belt zones. Apart from being of poor quality, detectors are installed behind wire pipelines and racks and air vents that may hamper their function and obstruct maintenance. Some sprinklers are out of order. There are not enough manually operated fire alarm switches. Safety standards require one switch every 60 metres along passages. The survey team also found some fire controls indicating false fire alarms and malfunctions but these had not been attended to. Most of the fire exit signs are not sufficiently illuminated and some signs have direction arrows that confuse toilets and fire exits. A number of electric appliances such as switches are easily broken. Most wire pipelines are substandard, and this includes poor ground wire installation, it said. Shops block some fire exits and some fire hose cabinets while some of these hose cabinets have incomplete sets of instruments. The report also indicated water leakages in electrical control rooms with drops of water falling onto control panels. Many control rooms are made into storage and living quarters. Flammable perfume and cosmetic products are stored behind illuminated advertisement boxes and partition boards of shops were made of flammable wood, plywood and hardboard. Besides, a Thai pavilion blocks the airflow to ventilating fans and a large-scale sculpture and a restaurant block

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=125202

[vam-pire]

Apathy rules in this country of 70 Million sheep

what a sad state of affairs

VP

[hudders]

did anyone expect otherwise?

[PadThaiGuy]

Guess the building inspectors that signed off on the work were taking backhanders.

I'll bet half those sprinklers aren't even connected to the water pipes.

I thought Airports were designed by experts.

What kind of place opens without proper fire equip, enough toilets, seating, air conditioning, understaffed immigration, cracked runways, mobs of touts hasseling arrivals?

Somthings wrong.

[PhilHarries]

I thought Airports were designed by experts.

What kind of place opens without proper fire equip, enough toilets, seating, air conditioning, understaffed immigration, cracked runways, mobs of touts hasseling arrivals?

Somthings wrong.

They are, as was Suvarnabhumi. The problem arises when the vested interests start to carve up the cake without any consideration for safety, functionality and customer comfort/satisfaction. The airport was nothing more than a giant feeding trough for Thailand's elite and should now be a souce of shame for the country. That it isn't is testament to the overriding sense of apathy for a facility that 90%+ of Thais will never use.

As I've said on other threads the place functions fine for me. I arrive, check in, pass through immigration (which takes as long as it takes), go to the gate, get on the aircraft and leave. I may sit down at a bar and have a couple of beers on the way leading to a visit to the toilet (never had a problem with them - lucky?) but that's about it. Similar M.O. on arrival - get through and out asap. But I realise I am in the minority being a minimalistic traveller and for those looking for more interaction and service it may not cut it.

This report, however, is worrying particularly electrical control rooms without smoke and heat detectors and false indications being ignored. But what will happen is that AoT will no doubt set up a committee to investigate the problems and nothing will happen. Only when they have an incident with loss of life will they act and then it will be a bunch of hand wringing apologists promising a full and transparent review that eventually blames some poor hapless little minion. The fall guy gets the sack, the place is cleaned up with a few extra shiny red thingys scattered around and it's back to business.

This report by the Engineering Institute of Thailand was presented to AoT. Why was it not presented to the fire department responsible for the airport? Where is the fire department's own assessment? The last thing to happen before any public facility opens is that the fire department does a walk through to do a final check that all is in line, only then is a licence issued. Thereafter regular inspections and audits should be performed, properly documented with all actions followed up. But we are dreaming again, forgetting we are in the land where a smile is worth far more than a person's life.

[lomatopo]

I think you would find similar code violations in just about every reasonably-sized building in Thailand. And likely in many major airports throughout the world. I am not saying that this should be acceptable, just that it is reality, and not unique to BKK or even Thailand.

[sangfroid]

Apathy rules in this country of 70 Million sheep

what a sad state of affairs

VP

Mai pen rai

[Bluelotus]

Many control rooms are made into storage and living quarters.

Sooo .... where did you say you live ?

[geriatrickid]

Many control rooms are made into storage and living quarters.

Sooo .... where did you say you live ?

You noticed that too? What's up with that? They have folks sleeping in storage rooms? This is Thailand not India.

[lomatopo]

Many control rooms are made into storage and living quarters.

Sooo .... where did you say you live ?

You noticed that too? What's up with that? They have folks sleeping in storage rooms? This is Thailand not India.

In any mid- to large-sized commercial building (20+ floors) you will find at least one permanent living accommodation. People associated with the building find the space and turn it into living quarters. I've seen this first-hand in two family-related instances and when I expressed my shock was basically told that it was de rigueur. My guess is that at BKK it is more of a temporary crash pad where people who have long shifts sleep or perhaps meet up for personal relations.