THREATS FROM the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) to begin shutting down nightclubs and places of amusement operating without certification indicating that they have proper safety measures in the event of a fire, have triggered a flood of applications to the Jamaica Fire Brigade.
Assistant Superintendent at the Fire Department, Ethiel Walker, told yesterday's Building and Town Planning Committee that since last month's committee meeting, applications for fire certification from clubs and places of amusement have increased dramatically, and included in the lot are several of the more popular 'hot spots' in the city.
"Since the last meeting, we have received 44 applications (for fire certification)," said Superintendent Walker. "Some have even turned up with (fire) insurance coverage."
Mr. Walker noted that this was in sharp contrast to the times when the Fire Department was receiving no applications for certification. In less than a month after the threat was made by the KSAC to shut down operations, they had received applications for certification from almost a third of the 128 nightclubs and other centres in the KSA region.
Among the 44 places of amusement seeking certification are, The Asylum Nightclub, the Jamaica Pegasus hotel, Mingles Nightclub, Jamrock Sports Bar, the Mini Golf Club, Epiphany Too and the Liguanea Club all on Knutsford Boulevard in New Kingston.
Other places seeking certification are, The Yacht Club, Pablo's Café along Eastwood Park Road; Island Cinema, New Kingston; Barn Theatre, along Norwood Avenue; Palace Cineplex, Sovereign Centre and Platinum along Dominica Drive, New Kingston.
Under the KSAC's 1999 regulations, operators of places of amusement including cinemas, should have their business places equipped with fire escapes and other items to handle emergencies, to have inspections done by the Fire Commissioner and an inspector from the KSAC's city engineer's office before an event is hosted. Failure to meet these requirements results in a breach and a possible fine, the KSAC said.
Superintendent Walker also said he had heard that the managers of some clubs and theatres were trying to thwart the work of the Fire Inspection team by borrowing or loaning equipment to their friends so they could qualify for certification on the date of their inspection.
He said inspections would now be done randomly so these persons will not be able to plan to cheat on their inspections.
