Phuket News: Inaction Over Tiger Inferno Sparks Fire-Safety Blitz

[Lite Beer]

PHUKET CRACKDOWN

Phuket News: Inaction over Tiger inferno sparks fire-safety blitz

Phuket Gazette –

Outraged by the lack of action by officials, Governor Tri (pictured here at Tiger Disco, in black jacket) has ordered an island-wide crackdown on all public venues where large crowds gather. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: The lack of follow-up on fire safety standards more than a month after the deadly Tiger Discotheque inferno on August 17 that killed four people, has prompted Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha to launch a campaign to improve fire safety at large public venues across the island.

Governor Tri told the Phuket Gazette that he had already called on the heads of Phuket’s three District Offices to boost their fire-prevention measures. “I have also asked the District Office chiefs to step up building fire safety inspections in their respective areas,” he added.

However, top of the governor’s list are entertainment venues where large crowds gather.

“I am calling all business operators of large venues in Phuket to come to meetings where we can explain to them what the law requires in terms of fire safety and building regulations. We have started with night entertainment venues first, because the operators of those kinds of businesses seem to not fully understand building safety standards,” Gov Tri said.

“They should be aware that there will be regular inspections. If they fail to meet any of the criteria, we will have no choice but to order them to close until the problem is fixed,” he warned.

Among the “criteria” is a regulation introduced in March this year limiting the amount of light or flammable materials used in building or decorating large venues, such as the foam used in making the original iconic Tiger Disco decor.

Initial reports by fire investigators identified the foam as one of the main contributors to the spread of the deadly fire last month.

Although the operators of Tiger Disco admitted that much of the original decor at the ill-fated nightclub was made from highly flammable foam when the venue was built 10 years ago, they later claimed that much of it was replaced by concrete features in order to comply with the new regulation.

To this, Governor Tri is granting large venue operators 180 days to make all necessary modifications to their buildings in order to meet all building safety requirements.

“We have spoken to some of the entertainment venue business owners in Phuket Town and in Patong, including Tiger Group. Those we have already spoken with have been given 180 days to change or modify their structures.

“We will go back and check every three months after the [180-day] deadline to ensure that they are still complying with the required laws,” he said.

After the key entertainment venues on the island are brought under closer scrutiny, next on the list are shopping malls and convenience stores.

“I am not too worried about them since the safety measures they already have in place are much better than the entertainment venues. They even have their buildings inspected once a year. They seem to follow the law quite well and have good safety precautions, but still, they have to be inspected once a year,” Gov Tri said.

However, he added that government officers who approve building permits for structures that breach fire regulations will also be in the firing line.

“If we find out that the building permit is not right, not only will the building owner be held responsible, but also the person who signed off as approving it,” he told the Gazette.

Governor Tri cited Patong Municipality as an example for being responsible for approving the building permit for the Tiger Discotheque.

“They [Patong Municipality officers] publicly announced that they lost all documents for building permission during a big flood [in 2003]. That still doesn’t answer the question whether or not the building was legally approved to build.

“I will not accept any accusation [that an illegal extension was added to the original Tiger Discotheque structure] unless I can see the paper to prove it. I have appointed one committee from the Provincial Office to investigate Patong Municipality regarding the issue,” he said.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...litz-17926.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-09-16

[madmitch]

Thailand: the hub of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

[RigPig]

<deleted>, documents lost in a flood in 2003? So there were no inspections after that? They didn't know (and will not investigate / prosecute because the original documents are missing.........

So anything done before then is legal regardless.....

How does the line in that song go by the Travelling Willberries, "In Thailand anything legal as long as you don't get caught......."

[steelepulse]

180 days to let the public forget about it, is what it sounds like to me. Why not a reasonable 30 days to fix the problem and a forced closure if not fixed?

BTW, does the new Tiger have this same foam?

[fareastguy]

Why not put the building permit in a prominent position by the entrance door where the public can see the venue is within regulations.

The public can then make up their own minds if they enter.. at their own risk.

An empty venue would soon spur these hard to understand owners to do something.

[watcharacters]

Thailand: the hub of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

Protect yourself at all times!

[asiawatcher]

Yeah? "... operators of those kinds of businesses seem to not fully understand building safety standards,”

Absolute crap. They know EXACTLY what they are and ignorance of the law is no excuse anyway. I have seen bars in Bangkok along the Ratchadphisek stretch where red pipes and sprinklers were in evidence and not a drop of water filled them. Like the venue - they were simply props.

It is the same as bike mafia who stupidly sit a full face helmet on the back of their heads so they can smoke or talk on a phone - the law is clear - they must wear a helmet - there is nothing to say it should be done up. Red pipes with sprinkler outlets similarly - no one said anything about them being functional!

And as for foam, the regs say nothing about fireproof rated Urethane being used. It is, and has been, available for more than 20 years and is used in theme park construction such as tunnel rides for artificial rock. What you have in these venues is simply cheap materials to create the 'themed' illusion and there is no concern whatsoever when it comes to costs. So start by checking the existing venues and forget 180 days for compliance or you may even see cheap blue plastic pipe painted red "to comply".

[lensta]

180 days to let the public forget about it, is what it sounds like to me. Why not a reasonable 30 days to fix the problem and a forced closure if not fixed?

BTW, does the new Tiger have this same foam?

True, and not only that, if there is another fire in one of these buildings during the 180 days, the owners will not be held accountable. Oh the owners are not held accountable anyway.

[spidermark]

We can only hope this governor is serious, and not just another opportunist goombah mouthing off. We would all love to see multiple shut downs. Nobody would miss any of these closures. It would simply amount to a group of insects being taught how to behave, and that there is actually a value to human lives. Imagine that?

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect App

[Penangfreak]

180 days to let the public forget about it, is what it sounds like to me. Why not a reasonable 30 days to fix the problem and a forced closure if not fixed?

BTW, does the new Tiger have this same foam?

No, concrete...Just seen it last week, also the new venue under construction....And these new tigers look great....

[geriatrickid]

180 days to let the public forget about it, is what it sounds like to me. Why not a reasonable 30 days to fix the problem and a forced closure if not fixed?

BTW, does the new Tiger have this same foam?

It seems to me that the clients do not care. If they did, no one would be entering any of the clubs found all along Bangla.

IMO anyone with a smidgen of common sense does not tempt fate and go into the clubs. I can think of several that have blocked exits, inadequate emergency lighting, missing fire extinguishers, no heat or smoke detectors, no exit lighting etc., etc. People are fully aware that the structures are unsafe, but are willing to take the risk. It is no secret that the structures do not meet the fire code.

I'll go even further, IMO with the exception of the major hotels on Phuket, none of the tourist accomodations would meet the fire codes of Japan, Singapore, or Taiwan. And yet tourists from countries where there are reliably enforced fire codes flock to Phuket. It would be interesting to hear from those TVF members that have guest houses whether or not they are able to confirm that their establishments have adequate life and safety infrastructure. There isn't even pulic sensitization to the use of a smoke detector.

[Valentine]

We can only hope this governor is serious, and not just another opportunist goombah mouthing off. We would all love to see multiple shut downs. Nobody would miss any of these closures. It would simply amount to a group of insects being taught how to behave, and that there is actually a value to human lives. Imagine that?

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect App

The current governor will not be around at the deadline as he is leaving soon.

[Soupdragon]

180 days to let the public forget about it, is what it sounds like to me. Why not a reasonable 30 days to fix the problem and a forced closure if not fixed?

BTW, does the new Tiger have this same foam?

It seems to me that the clients do not care. If they did, no one would be entering any of the clubs found all along Bangla.

IMO anyone with a smidgen of common sense does not tempt fate and go into the clubs. I can think of several that have blocked exits, inadequate emergency lighting, missing fire extinguishers, no heat or smoke detectors, no exit lighting etc., etc. People are fully aware that the structures are unsafe, but are willing to take the risk. It is no secret that the structures do not meet the fire code.

I'll go even further, IMO with the exception of the major hotels on Phuket, none of the tourist accomodations would meet the fire codes of Japan, Singapore, or Taiwan. And yet tourists from countries where there are reliably enforced fire codes flock to Phuket. It would be interesting to hear from those TVF members that have guest houses whether or not they are able to confirm that their establishments have adequate life and safety infrastructure. There isn't even pulic sensitization to the use of a smoke detector.

I have searched TAT press releases and can find no mention of just how unsafe establishments on Phuket actually are. I will forward your comments to them so they can update their literature accordingly.