The PyeongChang Winter Olympics officially started last week in South Korea, and with thousands of spectators gathering to view the sporting events; we can’t help but think about fire safety. Overcrowded hotels and stadiums are highly susceptible to fire emergencies, and if one in fact did occur, would the athletes and spectators be able to evacuate in a safe and timely manner?
As a facility manager of a hotel or event arena, fire safety should be a high priority for your facilities over all safety plan, especially with an event like the Olympics. In fact, during a fire emergency, occupants become scared and rush to the nearest exit to get away from danger. Trying to evacuate while staying calm is difficult enough, and with smoke masking your line of vision, pushing through a crowd to safety seems almost impossible. But one device that should be a part of a facility’s fire and life safety plan is photoluminescent (PL) egress path marking system and exit signs.
Photoluminescent egress path marking system and exit signs are used to help illuminate steps, landings, handrails and any other obstacles that can cause accidents. Occupants may slip, trip, fall or bump into something they can’t see in dark or smoky conditions. But PL allows a building to have continuous visual support up to 48. It requires no electricity, and produces sunlight or recycles existing electrical light. Therefore, PL doesn’t need to rely on any emergency backup system or maintenance in order to glow.
Certainly other threats surrounding the games are of the utmost importance to event security. However, it could be a costly and devastating mistake to overlook any issues of fire safety at events that draw such enormous crowds. So if you were asked to host the next Olympic Games would your facility be prepared?
