Doors locked

Press, 16 July 1987, Page 20

Doors locked

Sir,—l am alarmed to find a very large number of occupants of public and commercial premises locking half of their doors in double-door situations, and 80 per cent in multi-door fittings during cold days. Mostly retail stores, theatres, hotels are involved. Apart from the inconvenience of attempting to open bolted doors, I fear what could happen in the event of an emergency such as fire. Surely the law puts some responsibilities upon operators who interfere with designed egress? Perhaps some enlightenment for both operators and the general public would be timely. — Yours, etc., A. BECKER. July 3, 1987. [Divisional Officer J. C. Sinclair, fire safety officer, New Zealand Fire Service, replies: "The concern felt by your correspondent is shared by the New Zealand Fire Service. Although it is difficult to generalise in regard to all buildings, it is usual for all main entrance doors to be required for emergency egress. Accordingly, they should not be secured by bolts or similar devices. Periodic inspections of buildings are carried out by both the local authorities and the Fire Service, but should your correspondent have any particular building in mind, he/she should contact us so that any specific problem can be investigated.”]