Well, the authorities would have to prosecute themselves, basically.
The question about responsibility at the top will be asked, though.
I also do wonder how much time it would take to do a re-audit of basically every hospitality building in every Canton.
A lot of them would probably fail - then what?
Simples, they would be given a period of time to bring their buildings up to standard. If they failed to make progress then their licenses would be suspended.
Do you really want to visit any building in Switzerland that did not meet existing legal standards?
Make you wonder, a lot of the Fasnacht Cliques in Basel have their bars in the basements of old buildings.
I see the fault in canton here and in gemeinde too.
and from my experince in working in canton Wallis and working in newly built buidling - you donāt want to know how canton is āapprovingā the building. we got approval for our building from canton according to paper / layout check from canton. then we had other authorities from other cnatons coming and inspect other ātopicsā and the guy responsible for āspecial topicsā from canton Wallis that came later, was shocked that canton didnāt come and check on site the building.
the good thing is that we have really strict EHS guy in the company, who knows everything and is sometimes āirritatingā because of it, but at the end, you are happy that someone says - No, not safe. you canāt do that!
same in Bern. the city center is full with bars / nightclubs in the basement, with really steep and small staircases
Yep, when Iāve been to Bern Iāve seen a number of basement places in the old town where the colonnades are.
From that article:
The Valais cantonās chief prosecutor, Beatrice Pilloud, said the sparklers were a leading line of enquiry that looked to be firming up. The investigation will also focus on previous renovations at the Constellation bar and the materials used, the availability of adequate fire extinguishing systems and escape routes, and the number of people who were in the bar when the fire started.
Ms Pilloud said the investigators were examining acoustic-dampening foam in the ceiling of the basement to assess whether it complied with regulations, whether officials authorised its installation, and what role it played in the fireās rapid spread.
The probe will determine if inspectors had carried out annual building inspections, but the town had not raised concerns or reported defects to the canton, Stephane Ganzer, head of security in Valais, told the news conference.
One of the owners told Swiss newspaper Tribune de Geneve that the bar complied with regulations and that the bar had been inspected three times in ten years.
Also reports that the acoustic tiles on the ceiling had become partially detached and was hanging lose in places.
The Swiss authorities should immediately ban the indoor use of sparklers until their safety can be verified.
Iām rather hoping this tragedy will bring about the total ban of fireworks in private hands nationwide. The distress to wildlife and pets, pollution and random fires and injuries from Chinese made pyrotechnics should be endedā¦
Well, but given that likely 20-30% of the buildings would not meet the current standard - much less the no doubt much stricter future versions - weāre talking about a lot of closures. And a lot of expensive building-upgrades (that the owners likely cannot afford or donāt want to).
Also, life is full of risks. No doubt, I am exposing myself to them each and every day when I leave the house (probably when I am in the house, tooā¦).
Crowded venues always have the potential for disaster. Thereās simply no way to avoid that.
People should be aware of that and learn to be more aware of their surroundings - at all times.
Iām quite relieved to appreciate that no one else on the forum can possibly think the way you do about this situation.
You are wrong on so many levels.
I donāt know. Thereās a lot of stuff we could ban.
It would be especially ridiculous in this case, as you still allow private possession of firearms here (and thatās certainly not going away).
In this particular case, the authorities clearly failed to identify the risk associated with the acoustic foam.
Should the owner have known? Maybe?
But itās not like the venue was a speakeasy type of bar. It was a popular venue that charged 140 bucks for the party entrance.
Most venues are likely to fail a āget everybody out in 90 secondsā type of test.
Which was the challenge the people were presented here.
Even if indoor sparklers were already prohibited (which I agree is one likely āquick winā we will see) - it doesnāt stop people from actually doing it.
Sure, you can fine.
But that wonāt bring anybody back from the dead.
Regulations are going to be more strict - but donāt expect buildings to get safer over night.
Thatās not clear at all. They may have identified it and choose to accept it, or accepted it with conditions that were then ignored - this needs to be established through an independent investigation.
Of course not. But why not put all business owners on notice that they will have to bring their properties up to spec sooner, rather than later.
I think most people not living under a rock will have deduced as much by now?
Certainly when the preliminary report will be released.
Donāt hold your breath waiting for the preliminary or any other report. Methinks too many people have too much that they want to remain hidden.
That is a given.
But this thing is too big to wait out. Especially given its international angle.
Indeed. This is the interview to TdG:
The owner of the Constellation: āWe have been inspected three times in ten years.ā
Reached by phone a few moments ago, Jacques Moretti, the owner of the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, declined any lengthy interview, saying he was ānot wellā following the tragedy.
Before ending the call, he did, however, assure us that the establishment had been inspected āthree times in ten yearsā and that āeverything was done according to regulations.ā
When questioned about the inspections carried out at the establishment, the municipal authorities did not respond to our inquiries. The administrative offices are also closed for the holidays. The mayor referred us to the police.
In contrast, authorities donāt know what to say. Politicians are neither piloting an helicopter ambulance nor working in an operating room. Not even in charge of blood donations.
According to StĆ©phane Ganzer (cantonal responsible of safety), the cantonal administration recommends an annual inspection. Surprisingly, no one has been able to say when the last inspection took place. For public establishments, Swiss law requires āperiodicā inspections, documented by reports. According to the municipal administration, all requested documents have been forwarded to the Public Prosecutorās Office. This Saturday, on the sidelines of Federal Councillor Beat Jansā visit to Crans-Montana, (Cantonal) Prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud confirmed that the justice system had the inspection reports: āThe file was requested from the municipality and it was obtained.ā
There are too many victims in this situation and responsibility will have to be established. Also it seems the owners may be charged with āhomicide by negligenceā and all these details presumably will form part of their defence.