The bus fire in Balıkesir, in which five people, including two children, lost their lives, has brought the safety of escape in passenger buses to the agenda. Experts point out that a breaking hammer should be placed near all windows of passenger buses that can become escape doors in case of emergency, and emphasize that another door should be added to the rear of passenger buses. Experts also underline that passenger buses should be equipped with at least one 6-kilogram water portable extinguisher.
Üsküdar University Occupational Health and Safety Department Head Dr. Lecturer. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan and Lect. Assist. Abdurrahman İnce make important warnings by saying that the most important point in possible fire hazards in all closed areas, especially passenger buses, is escape safety and escape opportunities.
No escape door at the back
Stating that although there are two doors at the front of the buses, the other door is located in the middle, Dr. Lecturer. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan said, "There are two doors at the front of the buses. One is the driver's door and the other is the door to get on and off the bus from the front. This is not the case for the back of the bus. The rear door is usually not at the very back of the bus, but a little behind the middle part, and boarding and alighting from the rear door is done through this middle door. If the fire starts at this middle door and makes this exit impassable, those at the front of the bus will be able to escape through the front doors. However, for those at the back of this point, there is no other escape door at the back."
In the passenger bus fire that resulted in the deaths of five people, according to the first information, it was reported that the fire started from the coffee machine, Dr. Faculty Member Rüştü Uçan said, "According to common practice, the driver's deputies prepare the treats to be made to the passengers at the bottom of the door in this middle part, and electrical appliances such as coffee machines and kettles are also used for preparation. As in this case, a fire starting from the coffee machine can make this escape door impassable."
A door should be added at the back
Rüştü Uçan and Lecturer Rüştü Uçan stated that another door should be added to the back of the passenger buses in order to prevent similar situations from happening again. Assist. Abdurrahman İnce made the following recommendations: "In order to prevent these tragic losses from happening again, in the medium and long term, it is recommended to add an additional boarding and alighting door to the rear of the passenger buses that will be produced from now on.
Passengers must be informed
For the current situation, a breaking hammer should be placed near all windows of all passenger buses that are manufactured in such a way that they can become escape doors in case of an emergency.
Before the bus departs, passengers should be taught and reminded how to turn these windows into emergency exit doors in case of a fire emergency.
Electrical appliances should not be used
In addition, in the short term, the use of electrical appliances such as coffee makers and kettles should be banned in passenger buses; if not, they should be moved to the rear of the bus. If these appliances are to continue to be used, the periodic checks, tests and maintenance specified in their standards should not be interrupted.
Electrical installations must be inspected
There are a number of different electrical heating that can cause a fire to start. All electrical installations of passenger buses should be subjected to the minimum periodic checks, tests and maintenance specified in the standards, and these procedures should be supervised by an authority without any gaps.
Passenger bus fires should be scrutinized
The relevant institutions of our state should discuss the issue of "Passenger Bus Fires". The information that 500 to 1,000 bus fires occur annually in Turkey should be investigated and the causes and root causes should be revealed. Passenger buses should be inspected in this respect.
Defective vehicles should be banned from service
Maintenance deficiencies, if any, of passenger buses should be eliminated. Defective vehicles should be banned from service. Drivers and other cabin attendants should be trained in fire intervention, if any.
Water portable extinguishers should be available
Even if it is not included in the legislation and standards, we recommend that passenger buses have at least one 6-kilogram water portable extinguisher."