Fire Hazard, what can I do?

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pricilla

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Hello, I'll cut a long story short here, hope I'm posting in the right place.
There is a pub in my home city that is a major fire hazard, there is only one exit and there are hundreds of people crammed in every night. There is a big open courtyard area in the centre, but it is covered over by a huge canopy. There are electrical heaters and lights with water running down through them, the wiring in the building is so bad that the lights flicker and people think it's last orders.
If a fire broke out, the canopy would go on fire and everyone would be trampled because there is only one, cave like entrance, there would be hundreds seriously injured or killed.
Anyway, last year I thought I'd do the right thing and rang the fire department, the county council and wrote a letter to the Gerry Ryan show about it. The county council won't take my complaint on board unless I give my name and address and I can't do that because that's a dangerous thing to do in this city. I have a friend in the fire brigade and he told me that I'm wasting my time because it may be possible that money is changing hands, I don't want to say any more.
After watching the programme about stardust the other night, I've gotten very annoyed about this again. It is a hazard, so what can I as a member of the public do? I feel very helpless.
 
Did the Gerry Ryan show pick it up at all? I'd ring the Star or some other tabloid...
 
No, he didn't read it out at all, didn't want to get involved. I would never ring a newspaper, I actually dont want to cause any trouble.
I just think it's not on that it's so difficult to get something done about a fire hazard.
 
Have you contacted your local councillor or TD personally?

Won't the Fire Safety officer in the station take your concerns on board?
 
Just send an e-mail to the newspaper and then let them do their own investigation. Send it from a Hotmail account or something. You don't have to declare your own identity. If theres a story there, they will ferret it out and report on it, I'm sure...
 
I will contact my TD. Lauren I know that will get results, but that's not what I'm about at all. Does every single person have to go to that level just to air thier concerns? I'm not trying to get this one pub into major trouble, there are probably hundreds like it, or worse than it.
There should be an easier way to get my voice heard, it's a genuine hazard.
 
Yes I understand where you are coming from. There should be an easy formal way of reporting the issue. I guess I sensed a bit of desperation in your original post and totally appreciate it following on from the Stardust coverage recently. Sometimes a knee jerk reaction though creates action!
 
Lauren said:
The county council won't take my complaint on board unless I give my name and address
Click to expand...

Lauren said:
There should be an easy formal way of reporting the issue.
Click to expand...

Sounds like there is an easy way to get your voice heard if you're prepared to identify yourself, which sounds reasonable. Any anonymous formal method of lodging such complaints would be open to abuse.
Leo
 
CCOVICH said:
Unless that complaint is fully justified.
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A justified complaint wouldn't be an abuse of such a system. It being open to abuse doesn't imply it would be abused by all .
 
My point is/was that making a justified complaint anonymously is not an abuse of the system.

The OP rightly or wrongly feels apprehensive about making a named complaint, possibly for fear of the consequences of the offending pub owner finding out.

I think that an anonymous complaint is fully justifiable in the case of a possible fire hazard-what harm will a fire inspection do the potentially offending pub? If there is no case, no harm. If there is, there may be justifiable repurcussions (loss of licence, media exposure etc.)

It's not like the OP is standing out side the pub screaming about it being a death trap. It is a confidential complaint, made to authorities who are responsible for ensuring the public's safety.

If the authorities are not willing to listen, go to an elected representative. And fair play for attempting to do something about it.
 
An anonymous formal way of lodging complaints is always open to abuse. Thats why the people dealing with the complaints have to look at each individually. I've been against a naming and shaming kindof site based on personal opinion because it is open to abuse and personal grudges. but when a company or business is clearly breaching health and safety guidelines and putting lives at risk because of this then its not a petty grudge. the evidence is there for others to see its just not being acted on. i don't see any problem with the person involved wanting to remain anonymous. Living in a small town or even a larger one your life could be made a misery if you are seen to be rocking the boat. particularly by someboy who may be well know, financially in a very strong position and have contacts in the town. I would never under estimate the power of some of these people.
 
Just to be clear-I am not suggesting that there should be any naming and shaming.

One problem is that there is only the word of the OP to go on in this case, the rest of us have no way of knowing whether or not the complaint is justified or otherwise (note that I am NOT doubting anyone's word).

Anyway, this is straying intio LoS territory. Let's see if we can assist the OP. Any further discussion on the rights and wrongs of anonymous complaints etc. can be carried out elsewhere.
 
Did you see if you could contact "Crimestoppers", apparently you can give them your personal details and they will hold them in trust for you but check out any legal concerns you may have.
TBH, I've only heard it done more for drugs/paramilitary activity but it might also work in your case.
HTH
 
From an informed source, you are entitled to make an anonymous complaint to the fire brigade. If they won't act (as you have suggested may be the case), there is no national authority to complain to (despite there being several recommendations to set one up), so the only route is to get political.

I thought that another route would be to get the HSA involved, but apparently this is a non-runner of the fire brigade aren't interested.
 
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