A recent round of checks across nightclubs in West Yorkshire has found that most club owners are taking fire safety seriously, although there is still work to be done in some areas.
The West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service subjected around 100 nightclubs and similar premises in the area to random, unannounced fire safety inspections. Officers found a number of problems, including blocked fire exits, poor levels of fire safety training amongst staff and managers, and faulty fire alarms.
The inspections were carried out in an attempt to prevent disasters such as the major fire which broke out at a nightclub in the Brazilian city of Santa Maria in January. A total of 233 people were killed when fire swept through the premises, and the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service wants to prevent similar loss of life in the region’s own nightclubs.
Chris Kemp, the fire protection manager for the Service, said that the majority of clubs were taking safety seriously. However, he also said:
“We did, however, find various issues during our inspections, which included faulty fire alarms and blocked exits which have resulted in the serving of two prohibition notices and two enforcement notices,”