Momentum urges fire safety overhaul in entertainment venues after Swiss blaze

Momentum is calling for a rigorous audit of all mass entertainment venues to check for non-combustible soundproofing and ceiling materials as part of its call for a mandatory National Fire Safety framework. 

The announcement of the party’s ‘Safety First’ policy comes after 40 people were killed in a New Year’s blaze at a bar in Switzerland. 

Swiss authorities believe the fire in the Le Constellation bar, in the upscale Alpine ski resort town of Crans-Montana, started after sparklers attached to champagne bottles set fire to the foam-clad ceiling. 

In a press release on Tuesday, Momentum called on the government, regulators, and the entertainment industry to unite behind a safer, robust and enforceable framework for public safety. 

“We cannot wait for a local disaster to dictate our standards. We need a shift from reactive investigation to proactive prevention,” Mark Camilleri Gambin, General Secretary of Momentum, said. 

“Safety shouldn’t be just a promise. We are asking for a policy that turns that promise into a guarantee.”

In the party's "Safety First" Policy, Momentum focuses on legal clarity, education and modernisation. 

In its six proposals, the party is calling for mandating that audio systems are interlinked with fire alarms to cut music immediately during an emergency, and to ban sparklers or visual fire effects in enclosed venues which are not equipped for them. 

The party also called for a national education campaign to help young people spot risks and to be taught about checking for exits and safety equipment. It also called for strict rules and random inspections to regulate the capacity of people inside venues to prevent stampedes, ensuring emergency doors are always clear, unlocked and functional.

Momentum highlighted two recent incidents in Malta’s party mecca, Paceville, which is frequented by teenagers. 

The party highlighted how 32 students were evacuated from a Paceville building hours before it collapsed last June. The following day, an additional 40 people were evacuated from nearby buildings on St George’s Street, behind Triq Paceville, as a precaution.

Camilleri Gambin said the near tragedy should catalyse positive change. 

Momentum also flagged another accident in Paceville, when in 2015, around 74 people, the majority of whom were youths, were injured when a glass railing gave way at a club.

Last November, a court heard how there was no timely action taken in such a situation where orderly evacuation was needed, and the emergency exit was only opened after the railing collapsed. 

“We have an opportunity right now to fix the chain of failures before they break,” Camilleri Gambin continues. “We don’t want to be the country that commissions reports after the smoke clears. We want to be the country that prevents the fire in the first place.”