40 years ago a horrific fire at Bradford City's Valley Parade ground claimed the lives of 56 people. It took less than four minutes for a small fire to become a raging inferno. Warnings had been ignored.
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We were shown footage of this as part of our fire training at work.
I take the advice to always know where your exits are and to leave at the first sign of a fire more seriously now.
Poor people. 😞
There’s one such training video on YouTube and yes it’s horrifying who quickly it spreads between when the feed switches to people who’ve escaped to back to the main camera 😕
I did a fire safety course at work some years ago and they showed the whole video. Shocking. That incident is the reason we have many of today's fire regulations.
People also forget what we'd have in the workplace without H&S. The manager of a car company's press shop, where body panels are stamped out, told me he saw workers in China clearing metal scraps by hand from around a press as it came down with a force of 2000 tonnes, centimetres from their hands.
In his UK press shop the scrap was cleared by robot scraper arms and the presses wouldn't run without safety barriers lowered around them so nobody could get near the moving parts.
Had an Industrial Controls instructor tell us an anecdote about a worker (US Ford plant, IIRC) who went looking for a faulty limit switch in a stuck raised press. Climbed in, with a hammer.
Not sure if you’re being flippant? The coroner returned a verdict of misadventure but disclosed that he was close to recommending that the owner of Bradford City, Stafford Higginbottom, be prosecuted for manslaughter. As with Hillsborough, the club had failed to make proper H &S improvements.
Remember it well. Especially the commentary that started mildly interested in the smoke to describing a full blown disaster. There were some lads on the roof watching- I don’t know if they ever got off.
One of my earliest memories seeing this on the TV, horrific. Saw it on a football stewarding course some years later. To anyone who says it’s “their right” to smoke or stand at football, remember the tragedies such as Bradford and Hillsborough that have sadly gone before and reflect for a minute
A friend of mine was in it. He got burned and managed to escape onto the pitch. Then he went back in and got people out, being badly injured again. He was off work for a time but when he got well he set about raising funds for those worse off. Outstanding courage.
Remember vividly - Safety of Sports Ground Regs came in afterwards - as with most fire safety legislation, typically takes a disaster for changes to be made 🙁
I have 3 words for those who scoff at Health and Safety: Bradford, Aberfan and Zeebruge. All horrifying and avoidable and we shouldn't forget that. Rest in Peace.
A terrible, but avoidable, tragedy. Condolences to those still affected by this disaster & families of the 56 victims. Bradford fans were due to celebrate winning Division 3 after the game & the wooden stand was to be demolished after this last game. ✝️ 😢
At least Bradford have promotion to League 1 to celebrate this year, no consolation to the victims of course, but a positive note on this 40th anniversary. Good luck in L1 Bantam's fans! ⚽👍
There's also a message about fire prevention. Smoking in a wooden structure and allowing an accumulation of flammable material. The ability to quickly evacuate the stand was another factor especially at the back or for people with reduced mobility
I often watch "Fascinating Horror" videos on YouTube. (He is also on the other site as @TrueHorrorTales )
Unfortunately, the majority of tragic events occur because safety has been ignored, but often new safety devices and/or regulations are instituted as a result. They save lives.
Oh there were regulations. The cladding companies simply ignored them. They fabricated safety certificates and lied. All safe in the knowledge that even when they killed people the government would do nothing about it. Tories, nothing. Labour, nothing.
Every state in America that has relaxed safety restrictions has had horrible accidents. Texas, Florida, and Louisiana lead the country and toxic spills and explosions. Now the whole country is at risk.
Such a tragedy. That day has a legacy in fire and life safety training internationally now. A horrific lesson to have to learn, but an important one to never forget.
John Helm, it must have been awful for him. Newsreaders train for situations like this as they know there’s a chance they might have to comment live on such an event, but I doubt sports commentators expect to. John did brilliantly in the circumstances 😔
Comments
I take the advice to always know where your exits are and to leave at the first sign of a fire more seriously now.
Poor people. 😞
He found it.
It was a closed-baggie funeral.
One way or another, every safety regulation directly addresses something that has previously killed or injured someone.
Unfortunately, the majority of tragic events occur because safety has been ignored, but often new safety devices and/or regulations are instituted as a result. They save lives.
Various politicians over the years have blood on their hands.
#Bradfordfire56
https://youtu.be/Odjfn1zIxpI