I recently stayed in a hotel in Wales for a short break with my wife and one of the first things that occurred to me was how similar this hotel appeared to be to the Cameron House Hotel in Scotland in its location, construction and appearance.
This resemblance was not because I had ever been to the Cameron House Hotel before but because I had just written an article about the fatal fire where two guests died.
The means of escape
One of my first tasks was to check the means of escape from my room on the second floor and I had two options: either turn right and exit down the main stairway and into the main reception area or turn left and go into the new building and down one of the stairs in the old or new part of the hotel. Whilst checking out the escape routes it soon became very clear that there were many potential areas that could cause a problem in the event of a fire, and these were just a few in the common areas that I had access to:
It would have been better if these were the only defects that I observed but unfortunately it was not and I have many more photos that I could have included.
Fire separation
Having looked at some of the things that may affect the means of escape I though that I would also look at some of the aspects that contributed to the fire at the Cameron House Hotel Fire:
Firstly, they had an open fire and I wonder what their ash disposal procedure is.
Secondly, were there any alternative escape arrangements for bedrooms from the dead end of the hotel opening onto the staircase to the reception area?
Thirdly, I thought that I would give some attention to the aspect that appears in many fatal and serious fires and that contributed to the spread of fire through hidden voids and openings and wondered if these had been fire stopped or previously identified? Clearly, I don’t have the answers and have asked the FRS and the hotel management but have not yet received a response.
More questions than answers
Clearly, I don’t have the answers to many of these questions and as I stated previously, I have asked the FRS but have not had a response yet. I have also asked the hotel management but again I have not received a reply, but this is what I asked on my Guest Feedback: ‘My main concern would be fire safety having read the Cameron House Hotel Fire Fatal Fire Report Investigation.
- Have all hidden voids and openings been identified and sealed?
- Do you have a satisfactory Fire Risk Assessment?
- Have all fire doors been checked?
Please could you confirm.’
So, do we really learn lessons from past incidents and is the consumer getting a fair deal and can they really feel safe in not knowing what standard of fire safety they are getting when they book into a hotel?
About the Author
Alan Cox started his career in the fire and rescue service in both operational and fire-safety roles, before moving to the NHS where he was responsible for a large district health authority. His current role is offering pro bono advice to consumer organisations and individuals that feel the explanations/advice that they are given by enforcing authorities may not be correct and requires an independent view.
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