The conference on fire safety in crowded areas was held in Ufa

A special meeting of heads of objects where crowded entertainment events are held took place in the Chief Directorate of the RF Ministry of Emergency Situations for the Republic of Bashkortostan. It was occasioned by the tragedy that took place in Perm on December 4 of the current year. The number of people killed or seriously injured in a nightclub fire in this city reached 200.

The organizers of the conference were the Bashkir regional branch of OPORA Rossii (the All-Russian public association of small and medium business) and the Chief Directorate of the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters for the RB. Organization of fire safety during New Year holidays was discussed at the conference.

Marat Latypov, the head of the State Fire Inspection Service, informed the participants of the conference about the fire situation in the Republic. Although the accident rate remains high, the number of casualties and fires has decreased as compared to the last year. As for the Perm tragedy, it prompted strengthening of requirements to fire safety in small and medium business objects, especially those attracting a large number of people.

According to Marat Latypov, it is time for entrepreneurs to become conscious of their responsibility for life and safety of people and for results of their activity. Inspections of heavily trafficked facilities have revealed many violations, such as lack of fire alarms and fire extinguishers, faulty wiring, bad housekeeping or absence of escape routes. A special matter is the use of decoration materials. The owners must be sure of their fire safety. The permissible degree of risk is one part per million. Meanwhile, the degree of risk in a number of small enterprises is incomparable with the permissible one. There is a need for independent assessment of risks.

Ramzil Ishsarin, the acting chairman of OPORA Rossii said that a joint committee on monitoring of the situation with fire safety in small and medium business objects is going to be formed soon.