Sallahfest disaster: Emergency exits can save lives

Last Wednesday’s Sallahfest stampede that claimed nine lives in Kumasi is a sad event that will remain a blot on the national memory for years to come.

Our Muslim brethren, after climaxing the end of the Ramadan fast with prayers, decided to make merry, during which they met their untimely deaths.

Power to the venue was allegedly put off, leading to a sudden rush on the part of the revellers to exit the facility, which had a narrow door, and as a result there was a stampede.

While the Daily Graphic commiserates with the families of the dead, the incident brings into sharp focus a crucial but often disregarded component of our structural plans — the inclusion of emergency exits in our building plans and facilities such as buses.

An emergency exit is a clear, safe way to get out of a structure or building. It provides fast exit in case of an emergency, such as a fire. First responders may also use it as a way into the building, so it is very important to make sure they are ready to use at all times.

International construction standards require that emergency exits are built into structures to be used by human beings. That requirement becomes even more crucial when it comes to putting up structures that are meant for public use.

But, in Ghana, the addition of emergency exits to buildings has become the exception rather than the norm, resulting in situations where a good number of buildings designed for public use do not have emergency exits.

Even in situations where they are provided, their significance is lost on people and quite often discarded items are packed to block access to the exits, rendering them inaccessible.

There is a case in court currently in which a concerned Ghanaian has initiated action to ensure that buses that ply the country’s roads have emergency exit doors to facilitate evacuation in the event of any emergency.

Clearly, the essence of emergency exits must not be lost on us as a nation.

The Daily Graphic wishes to call on our various metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) who issue building permits based on building plans presented to them to be proactive in demanding the inclusion of emergency exits before approving building plans and issuing permits.

But beyond that, building inspectors should be able to pay occasional visits to public facilities to ensure that emergency exits that have been created are operational and not blocked.

Emergency situations can arise at any time, and when they do, there should be ready exit points for people to run to for safety.

We believe that the Sallahfest disaster could have been avoided if there had been another exit apart from the single one that served as entrance and exit.

We once again wish to express our heartfelt sympathies to the families of those who lost their lives and hope that the lessons from this unfortunate incident will not be lost on us as a country.