Highrise fire in Camberwell

Sometimes you have to wonder, what on earth are the Health and Safety people doing? There are petty laws everywhere that stop you from doing every day tasks. For example, we wanted this little shelf unit moved at home. Its only about half a meter long and is easily carried by one person. However you are not allowed. Health and Safety they announce. It could fall and injur you.

I have to therefore wonder how in the year 2009 people can die in a 13 storey building in one of the worlds greatest cities? We all know that fire fighters ladders can only reach so high (11 storeys) so surely there should be additional features in place to help protect people.

The fire ripped through the flats last week killing over 5 people who were trapped in their appartment. Woman and Children who were told by the firefighters to go back and wait in their home as they choked to death. Why? Because the building built in the 1950's had only a single exit staircase. This was where the fire was trapping them all inside the building.

In 1912 the Titanic sank with terrible loss of life. This lead to immediate changes in Maritime law which meant there must be more than enough lifeboats to carry each person in the event of a sinking. They passed this law nearly 100 years ago. You go on a cruise ship today and you are required by Maritime law to attend an evacuation praction / muster drill prior to sailing. Yet in this modern day there is no law demanding that all public buildings have an emergency exit? We have stupid laws that prohibit the sale of bent fruit and vegtables (thankfully been overturned this month), but no laws to protect the lives of innocent people who were put into this building by the local council. I think that's shamefull. A bus driver can not leave his cabin in the event of an inncident to protect him, but they didnt think to build an emergency exit. Do we never learn from the lessons? What of the fires in buildings past? I guess in the end much of it comes down to money but you do have to wonder what on earth were the people in charge of the building thinking? Their job is to look after the best rights and protection of the people as their number on priority?

They say there will be a public enquiry, which will no doubt end in their being investments and changes to these old buildings but one can't help but think after this loss of tragic life that this is too little too late. God bless them.