Means of Escape from High Rise Buildings

(Image uploaded from: http://www.caingram.info/Malaysia/Pix/Kl_railway.jpg)

I had just commented on Peter Tan's blog:

Thanks for highlighting the issue of 'Means of Escape' in the case of 'Emergency in a High-rise Building' situation.

I think it is high time to have a conference on this subject in our country. But the conference should be open to public, and host by an organiser that could pull in participation from:

Jabatan Bomba
Public Works Ministry
Ministry of Housing and Local Government
SIRIM
Prime Minister's Department
Pertubuhan Architect Malaysia
Institute of Engineers
Institute of Surveyors
Quantity Surveyors Institute

As well as NGOs and others, such as research institutions and universities.

The conference should be affordable to all, with discounts to students and disabled people for example.

Most of all, the conference should include a pledge at the end of it to create a Memorandum to set forth in laying out the principles and action for 'Means of Escape in High Rise Buildings in Emergency Situations'. Also what is needed are committees or better still a consultant to be writing proposals and action it under a 'Commission' would be in the right direction.

The following subject area must be tackle in the conference:

Means of Escape for Disabled People / Systematic Evacuation Plan for Disabled People

Structural Performance of High Rise Building in Earthquakes

The conference should not be too technically oriented, or that it should be divided into two sessions, where technical round-tables should also be discussed later in the day.

The way the building industry is going, building upwards higher and higher, isn't it time to do something like this? I hope that this comment will give some ideas.