Fire prevention measures taken in Olympic stadiums
(CRI)
Updated: 2007-11-12 15:59
In China November 9 is fire prevention day- and the numerals of the date 119 coincide with the fire emergency hotline in the country 119. This year, on the 15th fire prevention day, the focus was on the upcoming Olympic Games and fire safety at sports venues.
Fire alarm. This is something we definitely don't want to hear during next year's Olympics. To avoid potential dangers of fire, constructors and fire fighters of the Olympic stadiums are trying every means.
The Beijing Olympics National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, is the top priority for fire prevention. The Bird's Nest is steel-structured; however, the stability of the steel decreases dramatically when temperature rises to a certain degree.
The constructors have already taken this into consideration. All the seats at the upper end of the stadium are made of incombustible material, so that even if a fire starts, the surface temperature of the steel won't reach 200 centigrade degrees.
Also, as the stadium can hold more than 90,000 spectators at the same time, evacuation of spectators is something that must be prepared beforehand. According to Ma Jianming, head of Beijing Fire Department's Olympic Office, they've studied many stadium security designs from overseas, and the final plan was approved both in experiments and theories.
"If people are familiar with the exits, if they can be evacuated to a safe place within 8 minutes, they won't feel so anxious, agitated or worried. And accidents, such as trampling or squeezing are unlikely to happen."
The Bird's Nest has nearly 120 safety exits to make sure that everyone can find the nearest exit as quickly as possible.
Besides these prevention methods, advanced facilities are also available. Newly-designed software that can monitor and control all the stadiums and fields will also be implemented.
All these efforts are aimed at decreasing the possibility of fire breakouts to the minimum, to let people enjoy the games and not be bothered by harsh fire alarms.
