Burning time

Many of the capital's nightclubs will not work during the New Year holidays

The tragedy in the Perm club "Lame Horse" provoked the capital's firefighters to carry out a series of unscheduled inspections of Moscow entertainment establishments. Unexpected audits on the eve of the hot New Year's time for entertainment venues can result in the general closure of clubs for quite a long time. As the head of the press service of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Moscow, Evgeny Bobylev, told reporters, as a result of “sudden inspections” of 425 nightclubs, discos and public catering establishments operating in the evening and at night in the capital, almost 400 officials and legal entities will be brought to administrative responsibility. In addition, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, some clubs face suspension of activities for a period of 20 to 90 days.

“Materials on 54 objects have been sent for consideration by the courts of jurisdiction to make a decision on suspension of activities. As of Saturday, decisions were made to suspend activities at five facilities, and a decision was made to impose an administrative fine on one establishment,” Interfax quoted Mr. Bobylev as saying. According to the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Moscow, New Year's parties will have to be canceled by the club "Martinique" (its work was suspended for 90 days), "Gloria-Elite" (for 60 days), "Up and Down" and "Blueston" (for 30 days), as well as the night club “Dialit” (for 20 days). Judging by Mr. Bobylev’s words, other violators may share their fate in the near future. The most common violations, according to representatives of regulatory authorities, were non-compliance with fire safety standards of evacuation routes, lack of warning systems and automatic fire alarms. In addition, firefighters note the failure of organizers of mass events to comply with the rules for operating electrical networks and electrical equipment.

It is noteworthy that city prefects also joined in the active fight against fire safety violations in Moscow entertainment establishments. In particular, at the end of last week, the head of the Central Administrative District of the capital, Alexey Alexandrov, made statements that the clubs “B2”, “Ikra” and “Tochka” were threatened with closure. According to Mr. Aleksandrov, in the Central Administrative District, fire safety standards were violated by at least six night establishments, in which, for example, windows were blocked or emergency exits were blocked. Similar claims were made to the owners of nightlife establishments in the Northern Administrative District of the capital from Prefect Oleg Mitvol, who is experienced in issuing fines. As follows from the official message on the website of the Northern Administrative Okrug prefecture, the suspension of activities threatens 17 entertainment establishments in the district. According to the prefect, inspection materials, for example, regarding the “Empire” entertainment complex on Pravdy Street and the “Golden Palace” complex on Yamskoye Pole Street are in the district prosecutor’s office. And regarding the Rendezvous cafe on Petrozavodskaya and the Tavern on the Circle on Novopetrovskaya, the materials will be sent directly to the Koptevsky court. There, thanks to the suddenness of the checks, firefighters discovered a warehouse of flammable materials under the stairs, evacuation plans that did not comply with GOST, faulty fire alarms, and the walls of some rooms were decorated with flammable materials. “The main thing is to ensure that the orders issued by fire inspectors are carried out, and that the owners of such establishments are held accountable,” the prefecture’s press service quotes Mr. Mitvol as saying.

Other representatives of the mayor's office prefer to remain silent for now. At least in the department of consumer market and services of the city, as well as in the department of support and development of small and medium-sized businesses, they were not ready to questions about the consequences of mass inspections and the operating hours of city nightclubs during the New Year holidays. As the press secretary of the head of the department of consumer market and services, Vladimir Malyshkov, told Vremya Novostey, the department’s comments will be ready only this week. And the chairman of the Moscow City Duma Commission on Economic Policy and Entrepreneurship, Igor Protopopov, in a conversation with a Vremya Novostey correspondent, admitted that he was familiar with what was happening, but refused to comment in detail. The deputy referred to the strict “areas of responsibility” of the Moscow City Duma commissions.

Managers of night establishments do not advertise their problems either. Most entertainment establishments said they were not yet ready to discuss their future operating hours. At the same time, the majority, apparently, are trying to quickly eliminate the violations discovered by firefighters, so that they do not have to stop work in the midst of the holidays. In particular, on the official website of the B2 club, signed by its general director Natalya Kabanova, a message appeared on the fire safety measures taken there. “The use of pyrotechnics and the use of open flames is strictly prohibited in the club,” the organizers remind and urge visitors not to bring gas cans, flammable liquids, pyrotechnics and fireworks into the club.

According to the vice-president of the public association of small and medium-sized businesses “Support of Russia” Vladislav Korochkin, despite the fact that fire safety requirements are “quite stringent”, they are quite feasible. The reason for the massive violations in Moscow clubs, Mr. Korochkin believes, may be the unspoken conviction of all market participants that “money talks everything” and the habit of “negotiating personally with the inspector.” According to him, the system of control and supervisory authorities was initially built on “knowingly making everyone guilty.” “Over the last year and a half, the system as a whole has begun to change, and the fire in Perm and the consequences of inspections in Moscow are the result of legal and psychological inertia, old habits and attitudes,” said an OPORA representative in an interview with a Vremya Novostei correspondent.

Yulia KHOMCHENKO