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FIRE SERVICE AND GENERAL FIRE SAFETY TOPICS => General Interest => Topic started by: Martin Burford on March 26, 2007, 03:10:08 PM

Title: New Wembley Stadium
Post by: Martin Burford on March 26, 2007, 03:10:08 PM
I would be interested in the views of all....why the stadium was allowed to stage a football match on Saturday, with the potential for a capacity audience of 90,000, without a Safety Certificate.
Conqueror.
Title: New Wembley Stadium
Post by: wee brian on March 26, 2007, 04:38:09 PM
Its not a football match - it's staff training
Title: New Wembley Stadium
Post by: Martin Burford on March 26, 2007, 04:47:33 PM
Wee B
did I dream there was a match there on Saturday....with 40,000 + spectators ?
Conqueror
Title: New Wembley Stadium
Post by: messy on March 26, 2007, 07:34:21 PM
The first 'match' was the weekend before when  a couple of 'Z'-list celeb teams had a knock-about on the pitch whilst local Brent residents inspected their new neighbour.

Much was learned from this first test* and last weekend's U21 match was the next step towards a full safety cert. This phased approach seems to be sensible doesn't it?

*Lesson learnt? : About 40 fire safety marshalls were in place for each event, who after a briefing, patrolled their own defined patch in the complex.

One lesson (hopefully) learned from the 1st test day was that the fire desk within the event control should be manned before the end of the marshalls briefing. This would prevent the repeat of the situation where a fire marshall - upon leaving the briefing - almost immediately discovered a fire in an industrial hot fat fryer in a kitchen, but was unable to contact event control by radio as the control personnel were still making their way to it from the safety briefing!!

Oops! - But surely that is what these tests are for- to iron out procedural difficulties before they become major problems
Title: New Wembley Stadium
Post by: Chris Houston on March 26, 2007, 09:52:00 PM
Was the fire safely extinguished?  Please tell us more.
Title: New Wembley Stadium
Post by: wee brian on March 27, 2007, 09:29:34 AM
I think we would have heard about it if it hadnt!
Title: New Wembley Stadium
Post by: Pip on March 27, 2007, 10:11:55 AM
The Italian Striker was on fire!
Title: New Wembley Stadium
Post by: Pip on March 27, 2007, 10:13:36 AM
except for the sitter he missed that could have been his 4th.Perhaps thats why he was substituted.
Title: New Wembley Stadium
Post by: jokar on March 27, 2007, 05:25:14 PM
Nothing matters now, the safety cert was issued today.
Title: New Wembley Stadium
Post by: Martin Burford on March 27, 2007, 08:56:34 PM
Yes I know.but thanks for everyone's comments.
Conqueror
Title: New Wembley Stadium
Post by: wee brian on March 27, 2007, 10:27:16 PM
In a way its good that this sort of stuff gets in the news. Us safety bods usualy get a bad press
Title: New Wembley Stadium
Post by: messy on March 28, 2007, 07:57:10 PM
I read in Private Eye today that the BBC had four reporters at the 1st test day, including one up in a £4000 a day helicopter. The magazine criticises the expense and the fact that the reporters collectively had nothing to say as nothing happened.

I have an image of a bored TV News reporter scratching around trying to find something to say, whilst above them a single fire warden is struggling to extinguish this hot fat fire
Title: New Wembley Stadium
Post by: AnthonyB on March 29, 2007, 11:32:02 PM
One would hope that in a brand new state of the art stadium all the marshall had to do was pull the release on the Ansul* pull station & drop 20-odd litres of Wet Chemical on it, job done!

*other brands of fixed Wet Chemical supression are available :) :) (although 90-odd % of the ones I come across are Ansul ones!)
Title: New Wembley Stadium
Post by: messy on March 30, 2007, 11:27:32 AM
No Anthony: I understand that a conventional foam portable extinguisher was used. There were particular circimstances which meant that was indeed the right choice on this ocassion.
Title: New Wembley Stadium
Post by: Chris Houston on March 30, 2007, 12:45:48 PM
Do tell us more.  Why foam rather than Wet Chemical?  Is there no automatic fire supression?
Title: New Wembley Stadium
Post by: messy on April 01, 2007, 08:13:56 AM
Chris

Sorry to be a kill joy, but I have said more than I probably should have!

If you really want to know more, perhaps Wembley's operators will tell you (and about the other small fire later that day involving the pizza oven).

The bottom line is that the tests were successful and the stadium is now 'on the run'. A few fire safety related problems were discovered and apparently put right to the satisfaction of all the authorities involved.

I, for one, am looking forward to seeing my first footy match there, but - for safety's sake, I'll skip anything cooked on site and probably take sandwiches!!!!!
Title: New Wembley Stadium
Post by: Billy on April 01, 2007, 08:13:36 PM
Is it true that there is a major design fault in relation to Wembley - Everywhere you sit within the stadium you can see the pitch!
Now this might be OK for the FA cup final but think of the pain when England play their first game there!!!!
Title: New Wembley Stadium
Post by: wee brian on April 01, 2007, 10:15:23 PM
ouch!
Title: New Wembley Stadium
Post by: AnthonyB on April 01, 2007, 11:58:31 PM
Ah - I think that perhaps the fires may have been test excercises??