Hotel safety ’the best’

Press, 17 July 1979, Page 7

Hotel safety ’the best’

PA Wellington New Zealand’s fire safety standards for hotels are among the best in the world, according to a consultant fire protection engineer. Mr George Dunttachle.

He was commenting on the disastrous hotel fire in Saragossa, Spain, in which 71 died and 101 were injured. -’•■• ;• • > , ,

Mr Dunnachie last year s visited several countries on a study tour which in■cluded examining hotel fire protection safety for ■the Hotels Association of New Zealand. He has reported his findings to the Licensing Commission.

‘‘My investigations showed that New Zealand standards are generally equal or superior to anything I found overseas,”

he said. “I found the approach of overseas auth-' rities less comprehensive anJ not as well documented as our own in New Zealand.”

Mr Dunnachie said he t.as advised by the office responsible for United Kingdom building regulations that the problem was such that a special European Economic Community pomr 't'tee had been set tip to study the disparity in fi re-protection standards inside the E.E.C. Mr Dunnachie said New Zealand was “well up with the play” concerning hotel fire safetv.

“The emphasis here is given to ■■aising the alarm, guest-alerting, and readily identifiable means of escape. This, in my opinion, is the key to hotel safety,” he raid.