Seanad debates

Tuesday, 15 April 2003

Licensing of Indoor Events Bill 2001: Second Stage.

 

Since the Cincinnati disaster, fires in international places of entertainment include Happy Land Social Club in New York City on 25 March 1990 in which 87 people died; a disco in Lima, Peru in which 28 people died in 2002; a nightclub in Jakarta, Indonesia in which 46 people died in 2002; Rhode Island Concert Hall in which 96 people died last February. There are many more. I do not need to continue with the list. Suffice it to say that the lives of many were lost due to a lack of proper legislation and enforcement. Crowd control experts say that when frightened people come together, they tend to push each other. They also tend to follow others, especially in emergencies, on the often erroneous assumption that those upfront know more. Where fire is involved, panic increases. We have all been told that had proper controls and exits had been in place such catastrophes would not have happened.

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