Safety improvements at Maidenhead town hall after chaotic fire drill

Safety improvements have been made at Maidenhead Town Hall after a fire drill exposed a number of issues earlier this year.

Members of the disability and inclusion forum will be given an update on emergency procedures at the town hall at a meeting on Monday.

Previously, members were told about serious issues with safety procedures at a meeting on June 9, after a fire drill was carried out at the town hall.

Daniel Houston, the health and safety advisor, told the meeting that multiple internal automatic doors did not open during the drill, and not enough trained fire wardens were on site.

Several doors did not respond to security passes and ‘remained locked throughout the evacuation’.

Other issues included two exits leading to the town hall’s roof being deemed unsafe, and fire doors were frequently being wedged open.

Evacuation chairs were not required for the drill, but one was out of order and the remaining chairs had not been serviced since 2011.

As part of the revised evacuation plans in the event of a fire, the Royal Borough’s executive leadership team (ELT) has produced a report on work being done to address the issues, which forum members previously described as ‘shocking’.

The team investigated the previous problems with the access doors, security, evacuation chairs and alarm systems as part of the fire evacuation strategy.

The council bought new evacuation chairs, which were installed in August, with six individuals also trained on how to use the chairs if needed.

Since the fire drill, the alarm system at the town hall was also fixed and tested, allowing a two-way communication system so those in need can call for help easily.

A revised full fire evacuation strategy is also being developed but is yet to be published.

The way visitors and staff were being signed in at reception was also reviewed.

Since the meeting in June, new passes for visitors and contractors were introduced.

Contractors have also looked at the town hall’s access system and door controls.

The council is in the process of moving to a cloud-based system that is expected to be easier to use and more reliable.

Other doors inside the building that were causing issues were adjusted, but the improvement of all doors is still ongoing.

The Royal Borough’s health and safety operational and strategic groups are responsible for monitoring the changes to the emergency safety plan while updates are being made.

The meeting will take place at Maidenhead Town Hall at 11am.