14 February 2006

Hyperdome Evacuation

| gingermick
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I was slurping some soup in the Hyperdome food hall at about 1:30 this arvo when a young lady from one of the food joints came through the tables saying that everyone should evacuate as there was a fire in the complex. I headed towards the Coles exit (the closest) together with a large crowd.

What a bloody shambles! Some stores were being quickly shut down, with their staff members joining the evacuation; other stores, including Coles, were still trading even though the checkout staff were clearly alarmed by the rush of people heading outwards; some bemused souls were standing in the walkways wondering what was going on, while getting swept up in the crowd; some pannicky souls had started running; the village idiots were maintaining their positions on the limited seating; and , as we got out of the d00rs, people were still trying to get in.

There were no alarms, no public address announcements, no security people, no bloody nothing!

The car park toll booth was unmanned, which suggest that centre staff had been alerted.

When I eventually got my car out, I saw that the front of the Hyperdome had been blocked off and there were heaps of fireies and coppers attending.

I shudder to think what could happen in a severe fire. The centre management should be given a kicking. Are emergency procedures a slack in the other centres?

Anyone else around at the time?

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It was the cookie man’s shop that caused the evacuation. 🙂

That fire in the dumpster at Woden last year was apparently quite effective at filling some of the movie theatres with smoke, despite air con.

I wouldn’t rely on the air con still running in that scale disaster.

Feel cool when you walk inside?

That’s there them air conditioners that’ll take out the smoke, otherwise keep low and go go go…

(by the time plumes of smoke are coming at you, the crowd at the door should have subsided anyway).

Don’t most people in fires die (or are at least rendered unconscious) by dint of smoke inhalation? Don’t think the fire extinguishers help there – do Kmart sell gas masks by any chance?

Maelinar’s survival guide to shopping mall fires says that if there’s a panic to get out and you can’t immediately exit, you should consider heading into Kmart and stand next to the 80 or so portable fire extinguishers in their vehicle section.

The chances of the superstructure of the building collapsing is minimal, and if it was in imminent danger of collapse you could evacuate after the inital rush. The shelving in Kmart would also assist in protecting you from being crushed. (they use the good stuff – check next time you’re there)

Everything about the Hyperdome is a shambles so why would their emergency evacuation plan be any better? Thaey are good at squeezing maximum revenue from limited floor space but everything else from their woeful advertising to the putrid car parks to their laughable “security” people makes me want to avoid the place at all costs.

I was there at 3:15pm today and the firies were there standing out the front with sirens blasting.

Yellow tape outside the ljhooker entrance but people were still shopping etc in the mall.

Absent Diane4:34 pm 14 Feb 06

brings it all back to the survival of the fittest I guess

rumor is the cookie man was on fire

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