Safe shopping: do shopping centers protect their visitors from emergency situations?

2018-03-28
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The topic of fire safety was again widely discussed among experts, owners of shopping centers and architects after the tragedy in Kemerovo, which according to the latest data, killed 64 people.

The partner of Strelka Design Bureau, a well-known urbanist Grigory Revzin, has pointed out the dilemma between marketing techniques and compliance with safety standards in shopping centers. He lamented the fact that, from the point of view of trade, it is important that exits from the shopping center were not visible - everything is designed to slow down the movement and increase the stay of potential buyers in the building.

In addition, according to Revzin, three different security protocols collide with each other. "Fire requires a maximum evacuation speed and maximum number of exits. But the antiterrorist security protocol requires difficulty to enter and check every incoming one. And the anti-theft protocol requires difficulty to exit, slow down the exit and the ability to check. Hence, from the point of view of the safety of people and goods, exits simply can not close. They are closed everywhere, "- says the post urban.

However, all the rules of both fire and antiterrorist security are strictly regulated by law and thought out. Therefore, the idea of restricting access to the premises by itself does not go against the requirement not to block emergency exits, says Konstantin Baranov, director of the department of Property management at ILM. The problem in this case most often occurs at the stage of execution of this rule. “It’s easier to close the door with a key than to install a couple of guards who will prevent unauthorized people from entering the building,” the expert states.