In Approval

The Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) is in charge of fire regulations and safety of public. It inspects various premises to ensure that there are no violations of regulations of fire safety. It makes sure that all fire safety measures are in place and in case of any fire emergency, there are adequate safety measures for a safe evacuation.

In an ironic twist, an inspection has revealed that the department lacks the safety measures that it enforces. In February the department headed by Jon Denham had submitted a proposal for atrium refurbishment. The project cost was estimated to be about £2.4 million.

In November 2009, the fire safety inspectors came in for inspection before approving the project proposal. Little did they expect that the department responsible for fire safety enforcement lacked basic safety measures for protection of life and property. The ground floor restaurant had no provisions to release smoke as the vents were not being maintained properly. There were no safety measures in any of the floors for evacuation. Fire extinguishers were absent.

Over 2,000 employees worked at the department with no fire safety measures for protection of life and property. The safety inspectors observed that the atrium refurbishment would put the entire building at peril. Fire would spread to the entire building quickly resulting in a massive loss of life and property.

The Department issued the ‘Crown Enforcement Notice’ against John Denham for breaking the fire safety regulations.

It was a shame that the department responsible for public safety had not bothered to keep its own premises safe opined Bob Neill, Minister for Fire Services. He regretted that the department had not only violated regulations but also put in danger a number of precious lives. He vowed that the priority would be to set the house straight first before enforcing the regulations elsewhere.

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