Being Pro-Active About Fire Escapes..

[toenail]

The terrible fire at a glitzy mall in Doha. Qatar (13 children died plus 6 adults) with 19 people killed is again another reminder how we need to take our own action in checking out if the fire escapes are not blocked, if the sprinkler system works, and what other safety plans there are in the buildings we work in or visit. Everytime there is a fire with deaths in Bangkok, I am afraid there is only an "investigation" and nothing is really done. Just spin...

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/05/201252981826808662.html

[dddave]

MBK always makes me nervous. Exits and down escalators are so hidden by stalls crowded into every square foot of floor space that finding your way out is difficult even under normal conditions. I always try to stay aware as to where I am in relation to the garage exits as that is where I will head if an emergency does ever occur when I am there.

If the garage is not available, I'll just kiss my ass goodbye.

[Slaps]

But now they have signs

.

Edited May 30, 2012 by Slaps

[FritsSikkink]

we need to take our own action in checking out if the sprinkler system works, and what other safety plans there are in the buildings we visit.

How do you want to do that?

[ricklev]

California Wow at Ekamai has substantially blocked the fire exit hall with broken treadmills. In the developed world if people died due to that kind of shameful decision it would be criminal negligence. Simply allowing it by those whose job it is to know better should be a criminal act.

[Forethat]

I stayed at Narathiwas Residence for a couple of weeks last year and just by accident I happened to notice that the fire escape leading down the stairs all the way from the top floor ended up behind a door that was locked with a massive padlock...

When I pointed this out they removed the padlock after a short discussion that included argument such as; "but if the door can be opened people can get in from the outside if the door is not shut properly". It just shows that the level of intelligence amongst some individuals is south of 20. Or worse.

[Forethat]

MBK always makes me nervous. Exits and down escalators are so hidden by stalls crowded into every square foot of floor space that finding your way out is difficult even under normal conditions. I always try to stay aware as to where I am in relation to the garage exits as that is where I will head if an emergency does ever occur when I am there.

If the garage is not available, I'll just kiss my ass goodbye.

You know what, ever since I came to MBK the first time I am struck by one thought whenever I enter that place; "at all times, make sure you know exactly where the nearest fire escape is and how to get there in less than 5 seconds".

[Ijustwannateach]

This is endemic everywhere- even in schools that I have worked at. Until Thais get serious about enforcing their own laws, nothing's going to change. It will probably take a LOT of deaths.

[SamSipEt]

The same is true nation wide. The Rimping Condo is considered one of the best blocks in Chiang Mai but allegedly the American Consulate won’t let their staff stay there due to bad fire safety standards.

When staying in a hotel I always ask for a room on a lower floor which, hopefully, gives me a fighting chance to get out in the event of a fire.

[Semper]

we need to take our own action in checking out if the sprinkler system works, and what other safety plans there are in the buildings we visit.

How do you want to do that?

Start a small bonfire with lot of smoke?

Edited May 31, 2012 by Semper

[theoldgit]

California Wow at Ekamai has substantially blocked the fire exit hall with broken treadmills. In the developed world if people died due to that kind of shameful decision it would be criminal negligence. Simply allowing it by those whose job it is to know better should be a criminal act.

Agreed, but in the developed world such establishments are inspected by the fire authorities on a regular bases, if they contravene the regulations they would be prosecuted and/or shut down.

That would never happen here, that's why I follow the advice of others and make myself aware of fire exits.

[bbradsby]

Unless you're an expert, you cannot 'check the sprinklers' without setting one off! suffice it to say, that'd be a massive mess, if fun to watch.

You CAN:

-review your exit path options all the way to safe refuge at hotel stays, and act accordingly. I do. Maybe you have to just protest and leave.

-open stairwells, atriums/atria & shafts are killers. exit stairs should have enclosure walls with doors with closers & latches - remove any improvised doorstops. Ground floor door must not be padlocked, chained or blocked - check its operation. I've found sandbags and rope on the outside, invisible from the inside... but killers nontheless.

-review regularly your apartment's exit paths similarly, be an active/vocal resident to ensure fire safety. Inspect the insides of mechanical & electrical closets, as these often have open shafts hidden away from day-to-day view, which will bring smoke & fire quickly up through the building.

-have a crow/prise bar and sledge hammer to break the padlock brackets (theyre always flimsy, if installed by the idiot maintenance staff) at ground floor exits that are criminally common here.

-install a simple, battery-powered, LOUD smoke detector outside your unit, as well as several inside your unit.

-buy a big fire extinguisher from Homepro.

-consider installing custom, radiant barrier shutters on exterior openings if you live on a mid- to high floor since high-rise fires jump stories via exterior openings.

-buy firefighter's masks with oxygen for all family members if you live on a mid- to high floor in Thailand or other developing country where design, construction and ongoing fire dept inspections are a macabre joke.