Locked Doors at the Movies

[L&J]

I continue to notice finding this happening at the theaters in town, including last night at the SF Cinema

at Promenada. The crowd is directed down the steps to exit at the front of the theater only to find that the

exit door is latched at the top and won't open. The first person to the door fiddled around with it for a short while

and finally gets it open. Of course fiddling around with it in a real emergency might not be as effective

Is there anywhere else in the world where they "allow" exit doors to be locked from the inside? I won't accept

an explanation that an usher is suppose to unlock the door when the show is over as that totally ignores what

would happen in the case of a real emergency during a show.

Would anyone in "authority" care about this problem, or are movie theaters ignored just like the music clubs

where dozens of people die in fires because of locked exit doors?

[Greenside]

I wouldn't knowingly go to a movie theatre or any place like it if I knew the fire exits were locked - of course the problem is that we don't go around testing them. Try bringing it to Pim's attention at City News and see if she'd like to do a report covering more that just the one venue in town. Promenada's management probably don't know about it and if they have any imagination at all (which is questionable, given the fiasco of a half open unfinished shopping centre) they may just be able to figure out the damage a "people piled against locked exits" story would do to their investment and deal with it before someone gets hurt. KSK is a labyrinth which is almost impossible to find a way out of at the theatre end even without an emergency, but hopefully its days are numbered anyway.

[trainman34014]

Life is cheap in Thailand. Personally i never go to the movie theater's because i was told about this sort of thing when i first arrived. Plenty of DVD's available and sooner or later all the movies are on TV anyway. Why risk it? You have to take care yoursel in Thailan....nobody care you !

[mesquite]

I have never once considered this in a movie theater, now I will. Thanks for posting.

[L&J]

It is very obvious that the locked doors are "designed" to insure that nobody gets into the show with paying for it.

Reminds of the news story out of Peru a couple months ago where dozens of people died in a night club fire because

when the fire started the bouncers at the door wouldn't let people out until they had first paid their bills. Management

waited until the place was engulfed in flames before they changed their policy.

At KSK theaters the doors have a bar across them that looks exactly like the "panic bars" that are required everywhere

else in the world where safety is a concern. However these aren't panic bars there is a handle behind these fixed bars

that must be turned to open the doors. Forgive me if this has changed any time recent as since KSK went to virtually

dubbing all films in Thai I haven't been back to that firetrap.

I will mention it to CITYLIFE as we do know that every time they expose some gross problem in the community that

immediate and decisive action is undertaken to correct it. "I'm only kidding" I do appreciate their sincerity and it isn't

CITYLIFE's fault no one will pay attention.

On another note that relates to SF Cinema's need to make sure everyone pays for their movie. At several of the "free"

showings at the EU Film Festival we have noticed young Thais with their buckets of popcorn and 2 liter soft drinks get

up after 10 minutes of the "free" film and disappear out the back door. Do you think they mistakenly wander into
Superman-Man of Steel" after visiting the restroom? They never come back to the "free" movie.

[MrBrad]

And, cynically speaking, if anything were done to remedy the situation, it would most likely return to the prior condition after a week or so at most.

Next time you're at Sripaht on the 13th floor of the Suan Dawk medical complex, check out the fire escapes there if you want a scare. The last time I looked there were locked doors plus loads of visible junk stored in the stairwell. And, I only wonder if the back stairs are navigable down all the way to the ground floor and, of course, out of the building.

[hellodolly]

And, cynically speaking, if anything were done to remedy the situation, it would most likely return to the prior condition after a week or so at most.

Next time you're at Sripaht on the 13th floor of the Suan Dawk medical complex, check out the fire escapes there if you want a scare. The last time I looked there were locked doors plus loads of visible junk stored in the stairwell. And, I only wonder if the back stairs are navigable down all the way to the ground floor and, of course, out of the building.

Well now look at what you have done. Reading some of these posts I can see where there are people who will never go in a hospital again,

[Beetlejuice]

This is Thailand, where the attitude is; we don`t worry about such things until something bad happens.

Included as high fire risk fire traps are, many hotels, small upper floor guesthouses, where rooms have no windows and the only exits are on the floor below, supermarkets, large warehouse type stores, such as Global House and the list goes on.

Over here, everything we do, we are taking a chance, in the hope that anything bad will happen to the other fella and not to us.

[kurnell]

Reality is there's just not a lotta smarts in Thailand.

[Mapguy]

Cheap shot.

[Greenside]

Taking more responsibility for one's own safety is, for me at least, one of the things I like about living in Asia. It's easy to remember (after the first few twisted ankles, at least) to watch where you are walking, but when the places you are in set out to fool you with signs that say reassuring things like "Fire Exit" when what they really mean is "Death Trap", I draw the line. If they want to pretend they are modern and civilised then they should be held to account.

I rather self consciously point out fire exits and arrange meeting places if I'm with my family in a place where we may become separated and where's the harm (OK, I count rows to the nearest exit on planes so I could do it with my eyes closed too) but isn't this part of taking care of yourself rather than abdicating responsibility to a Nanny State of some kind?

Edited June 20, 2013 by Greenside

[PlanetX]

Didn't that crazy batman shooter in Colorado come through the fire exit door?

At least in Thailand he would have had to buy a ticket and we all know western cheap charlies might change their mind if they have to fork out 100 baht

[Greenside]

Hysterical.

[PoodMaiDai]

Never ran into this at Major and I go probably once a week.

I'll be skipping Promenada now, thanks.

[NancyL]

I, too, have never run into this at KSK or Major. I have a small bladder and often have to make a quick run during a movie. Not a problem to use the fire exits at these two places to get out. I don't try to get back in thru the fire exit, however.

Gee, L & J, didn't you jump all over me in another thread when I said the management systems at Promenada were poorly executed? Here's just another example of a mall that isn't ready for prime time and is not only inconveniencing people with parking and transport problems, but now we know they're endangering lives in their push to open before they're ready.

[JusMe]

Although admitted it was twenty years ago, when I was living right next to a university in South Korea, I often went to their major auditorium for classical music concerts.

The side exit doors were always chained up on the inside, ensuring no one either entered or exited them, until the end of the performance when someone got to those chains with the key to the padlock.

I did write to the university administration, but never received any response. Some Korean friends of mine indicated this was common practice.

[market trader]

And, cynically speaking, if anything were done to remedy the situation, it would most likely return to the prior condition after a week or so at most.

Next time you're at Sripaht on the 13th floor of the Suan Dawk medical complex, check out the fire escapes there if you want a scare. The last time I looked there were locked doors plus loads of visible junk stored in the stairwell. And, I only wonder if the back stairs are navigable down all the way to the ground floor and, of course, out of the building.

Well that's another check mark on the good side for the Ram.

[tango]

Included as high fire risk fire traps are, many hotels, small upper floor guesthouses, where rooms have no windows and the only exits are on the floor below, supermarkets, large warehouse type stores, such as Global House and the list goes on.

I'm surprised you've included Global House. One would think that, given a couple of years back a huge fire gutted their entire warehouse, they'd have installed updated fire protection during rebuild. Hmm...

[hellodolly]

I am wondering how fiddling with a locked door opened it.

Could be that the door mechanism is new and malfunctioning.

Was this the case in all eight theaters or just one?

[rookball]

major cineplex in central airport do not practice this, at least from what i experienced. i usually seat within the front few rows and always exit from the front exit door.

[uptheos]

major cineplex in central airport do not practice this, at least from what i experienced. i usually seat within the front few rows and always exit from the front exit door.

Shhhsh, you'll have them all piling back.