Fires Happen in China, so unlock the Doors!

Visitors to China may be frustrated by countless exits being locked for no credible reason.  This photo was taken at a busy shopping mall in Xidan, Beijing. Customer after customer walked to the exit which was locked and then searched for a open exit. Beyond the inconvenience is the danger of death  if a fire were to occur.  In a panic people would not be able to calmly find the way out, but would run to a locked exit and perish from smoke inhalation and burns. How many casualties would be suffered here if there was a another shopping centre fire, like the blaze last year in Xinjiang, China?  

The Shopping Mall blaze killed three firefighters and two others on Jan 2, 2008.   Most recently, on Feb 9th, 2009 during the Chinese New Year celebrations,fireworks caught the newly completed Mandarin Oriental Hotel on fire in Beijing. The fire caused over 700 million US dollars in damages and left one firefighter dead.   

The same attention to developing China's infrastructure and technology needs to be given to enforcing the existing health and safety regulations that protect the China's people.  Developing new processes and methods to hold people accountable for ensuring safety would represent meaningful innovation.