Backpacker Hostel Fire Campaign

- Free Backpacker Hostel Fire Safety Guide Released
- Awareness Week launched

Backpacker Hostel Fire Awareness Week 1st - 7th November

Click here >> to view / download the FREE backpacker Hostel Fire Safety Guide

Around a quarter of a million 18 to 35 year-olds will leave the UK to travel overseas over the next four months and will unwittingly put themselves at risk from death or serious injuries from fire in their backpacker hostels. Since the infamous Childers Hostel fire in June 2000, where 15 backpackers died, there are likely to have been over 100 fires in similar hostels and hotels around the world. In the past nine months alone there have been 18 hostel and hotel fires reported in 12 countries, resulting in 34 deaths, 110 injuries and 1,633 survivors. And these are only the reported fires this year. So far.

Many backpacker hostels still do not have basic fire equipment and procedures in place and are regarded as death-traps. With the growth of the backpacker market more young travellers are heading further a field. As a result, more guesthouses in countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos are being converted into backpacker hostels. This is a dangerous cocktail. On the one hand remote hostels, often made of wood and thatch and with no fire-safety equipment or emergency procedures in place. On the other hand young, poorly informed backpackers, unable to communicate with the hostel staff and other international backpackers, suddenly woken by fire in a pitch dark, unfamiliar place. They may even still be intoxicated from a party the night before. Every year lives are lost. Many are preventable through basic education.

Whilst the governing bodies for youth travel work behind the scenes to improve fire safety standards amongst hostels worldwide, those within the global youth travel industry are releasing a free fire safety guide for backpackers and an Annual Backpacker Hostel Fire Safety Awareness Week, which will run globally from November 1st - 7th. The Backpacker Hostel Fire Safety Guide is being distributed free around the world to businesses that come into contact with travellers aged 18-35.

AUTHOR OF THE GUIDE
Tom Griffiths, Founder of gapyear.com, says:

'On my first gap year at 18 I stayed in numerous death-trap hostels around the world, many had only one exit onto the street and burglar bars on the windows that would have stopped me getting out in a fire. Some also stacked bunk beds and junk against fire exits and other hostels were made of wood and thatch that burn very quickly once alight. It scares me to think that I stayed in so many dangerous hostels without giving this a consideration and more importantly, had no real basic knowledge of what to do in a fire. 15 years on, many of these hostels still exist; many others are worse still and the typical ‘It won’t happen to me’ backpacker attitude remains. Luckily fires are rare, but when they hit, like in Childers in 2000, they kill many.

Death by fires in hostels and hotels can be cut if we can simply educate young travellers, which is why this guide is vital reading for anyone about to head off. Checking for the location and accessibility of fire exits on arrival should become second nature. Having a rough idea of what to do in a fire should be a basic knowledge we all have. The problem is getting the message across. We’re now in peak preparation period for the mass exit for long round the world trips, so they’re more interested in finding out about bungy jumps and full moon parties than hearing about this sort of thing. Hopefully parents will also help by bringing it to their attention. This gritty guide holds no punches. It’s a serious issue. It arms young travellers with the basic information needed to save their lives in a realistic way we hope they’ll take on board.'

CASE STUDIES: Young people caught in hotel/hostel fires

Warwick Howard from Nuneaton was caught in a hotel fire in Magaluf in 2002 when he was 18. Having been lost in thick smoke his attitude to fires has changed:

'My attitude when I was 18 was something along the lines of 'well, I'd just run... or jump off a balcony'. Most young people think the same. The problem is this attitude could have quite easily gotten me seriously injured, or killed. The fire started in the bar and before the alarms had even sounded, the smoke had filled the first two floors. It's amazing just how quickly all your bravado disappears when you're choking on thick, black smoke and you have no idea where you are anymore. Luckily for me the girl I was with knew the hotel layout a little better than I did, having read the evacuation procedure on the back of the hotel door. She got us down on the ground and found a fire exit out to the back of the hotel, where we were met by firemen. If it wasn't for her I'm sure things would have been a lot worse. When you're actually faced with the smoke, the breaking glass, the confusion of lots of different people moving in different directions, it becomes very easy to lose track of where you are and what you're doing. Even now, five years later, the first thing I do when getting into a hotel room is look for where the exits are. I won't be caught out again.'

Kirsty and Emma Schofield from Droylsden were involved in the Penhallow fire in Newquay, which hit the headlines in August 2007. A nasty fire, it claimed one life. The two girls were commended for their bravery in helping others to escape. On hearing about the fire safety awareness campaign, Kirsty and Emma Schofield comment:

'We are delighted to hear about this campaign for young people travelling overseas. We always thought being involved in fire was something that happened to other people and so never gave it a second thought. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever been through and I wish I had been a bit more prepared about what to do in that situation. It was really scary. We ran out knocking on doors on the way, but we didn’t really know where all the fire exits were. I just want to say to any backpackers about to head off around the world, from someone who has been in a fire, that this CAN happen to you, so please, please have a quick read of this guide and do a few basic checks when you arrive at hostels or hotels. I know it’s boring, but having a rough idea what to do, how to stay calm and how to get out might just save your life one day.'

FIRE SAFETY PRODUCT EXPERT

Robert Carmichael, Director of FlareBrands, a fire safety product business who has assisted with the creation of the Backpacker Hostel Fire Safety Guide comments:

'In the Manor Hotel fire in the Philippines in 2001, 75 people died. 74 died of smoke inhalation. Most people are terrified about being burnt alive, however, smoke inhalation is the most common cause of death in a fire often caused by people trying to ‘beat the smoke’ by running through it. They don’t realise that their eyes will slam shut and not open, and if lost in smoke just a couple of deep breaths are enough to kill you in seconds. On a plane we’re told and know how to get out in an emergency, but virtually no backpackers think to do the same in an unfamiliar hostel with multiple rooms, floors and exits. There are no guiding lights on the floor, so it’s up to you. The number of young people leaving the country without the basic knowledge of what to do in a fire situation is worrying and so we hope that this guide helps to change that.'

Hostel fire safety standards, a tale of two hostels

It is important to note that not all hostel fires end in tragedy, more often than not as a result of good fire procedures and safety standards in place. Sometimes it is just luck.

1. No equipment, no standards. A lucky escape
In August 2007 the Red Dragon Hostel, Kuala Lumpur, a key backpacker destination on the round the world route, had a lucky escape. This hostel had no sprinklers, smoke alarms or fire procedures in place, but their staff managed to get the 50 backpackers out before it was gutted by fire at around 9am. Had it happened at 3am, things might have been different.

2. High standards, modern equipment, staff training. Well handled fire
On the opposite end of the spectrum, in 2006 the YHA in Earls Court was completely destroyed by fire. Earls Court is a hub for antipodean backpackers in the UK. YHA and its global body Hostelling International have impeccably high fire safety standards that act as a benchmark for hostel fire safety around the world. The staff of YHA Earls Court evacuated all of their guests within five minutes, with no injuries or deaths sustained, and were commended by the London Fire Service as a result.

Duncan Simpson from YHA (England & Wales) - the Youth Hostel Association, comments:

'Last year an electrical fault in a shower block caused a fire that devastated YHA London - Earls Court. The hostel had over 90 guests in the building at the time, predominantly aged between18-24. Everyone was escorted safely from the building and there were no injuries. We are extremely pleased that the strict fire safety procedures and standards enforced by YHA work. All our staff are trained and know what to do in an emergency and the emergency exits are clearly signed and kept clear at all times, which is vital for saving lives in such extreme events. YHA feels that we have a duty of care to our guests and are proud to lead the standards around the world. We will be doing our bit to assist the industry to raise standards. In the meantime, we fully support fire safety awareness campaigns such as this. Equipping backpackers with knowledge on what to do in an emergency will help our staff should the unthinkable happen again, and will save lives where standards are lower or non existent'

Ends

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Contacts

Tom Griffiths, Founder of Gapyear.com
Robert Carmichael, Director of FlareBrands Ltd
Through Vicky Lee, Communication Manager
Tel: +44 (0)1473 230 766
Email: vlee@gapyear.com


The FlareBrands FlareSafe portable combination smoke detector/alarm/LED torch, recommended by gapyear.com can be viewed here >>