Damon Albarn, the lead singer of the band 'Gorillaz' has come under the spotlight recently because he has flaunted fire safety laws in the UK by smoking a cigarette on stage during the first night of their new tour. The leading anti-smoking charity in the UK has called for him to be prosecuted. Former Blur front man Damon and his fellow band mate Paul Simonon were performing in Portsmouth at the Wedgewood rooms when they sparked up cigarettes and began smoking on stage.
ASH (Action Smoking Health) have called for the pair to be prosecuted and fined for such an outrageous breach of safety laws. Amanda Sandford of ASH said "There can be no excuse for that as it is an indoor place and the law is very clear. We are not allowed to smoke on stage unless it is relevant to the act. It is not just illegal but more importantly it is about the message it sends out to fans."
Now ASH are concerned about the fact that it may encourage the bands fans to take up smoking which we all know is bad for your health. Very bad. Smoking kills, full stop. But the anti-smoking laws are in place for another reason here in the UK. A lit cigarette poses a serious risk of fire when discarded. Couple this with a public place and the risk to human life and property damage is a serious threat.
There are over 37,000 fires in the UK each year with around 800 deaths. Smoking is a major cause of these fires and as such the law is justified when it comes to not smoking at an event such as a concert. There have been several major fire incidents in the past relating to cigarettes which have caused horrific loss of life.
The most well known fires caused by smoking are the Oxford Circus Station fire and the Kings Cross disaster which claimed 31 lives on the 18th November 1987 in the UK. It is believed the fire started due to a commuter discarding a lit match which was used to light a cigarette. This in turn fell down the side of the escalator and set the station alight.
A discarded cigarette can still be alight and can easily cause combustible substances such as paper, cloth or wood to ignite. Many people in the UK are killed when they fall asleep with a lit cigarette or cigar.
These tragedies helped to bring in laws in the UK that prevent smoking indoors at work places, restaurants, cinemas and concerts.
Bands such as the Gorillaz would be aware of these laws and from a safety perspective for their fans should adhere to them. These fire related tragedies can be easily avoided.
A major venue would have fire safety plans in place and be equipped with fire alarms and fire extinguishers to help alert staff of any danger or tackle a small blaze before it gets out of hand. In the home the fire brigade recommend the installation of smoke alarms to help warn people of a fire. These can be got free from your local fire brigade and all households should take advantage of this service.
A fitted and working smoke detector has been shown to improve your chances of surviving a house fire by over 50%. Make sure the batteries are tested weekly by pressing the test button on the alarm. Fire safety should be taken very seriously as loss of life can be prevented.
