Swiss canton bans pyrotechnics in bars and restaurants

Vaud bans pyrotechnics in bars and restaurants Keystone-SDA

In the wake of the tragedy in Crans-Montana, the Vaud cantonal government is taking measures to reinforce security in public establishments. The use of pyrotechnic devices will be banned in bars, nightclubs and restaurants. Checks will be stepped up.

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Canton Vaud has been particularly hard hit by the events that took place in Crans-Montana on New Year’s Eve, when a fire in a bar killed 40 people and injured 116. Against this backdrop, the government, which will be present in Martigny on Friday as part of the national tribute, has taken “various urgent measures to check and guarantee safety in the 4,000 or so catering and entertainment venues in Vaud”.

“The aim is to reassure the population and answer the many questions that have arisen since January 1” and the tragedy in Valais, wrote the cantonal government in a press release on Thursday.

It wishes to point out that the operators and owners of public establishments are primarily responsible for implementing fire protection and defence measures within their establishments. As for the supervision of eating and entertainment establishments, this is primarily the responsibility of the municipalities, in accordance with article 47 of the Vaud law on inns and pubs (LADB).

“A letter will be sent to the municipalities in the next few days to remind them of the various resources available to support them in the exercise of their responsibilities and in their capacity as supervisory authorities,” explains the government.

+ Crans-Montana tragedy highlights limits of Swiss federal system

Tighter controls

In addition to reinforcing the supervision exercised by the municipalities, the cantonal government has also decided to carry out additional checks “in the most high-risk establishments”. These will be coordinated by the Cantonal Commercial Police and the Cantonal Insurance Establishment (ECA).

The government will also be asking local authorities to step up unannounced checks to ensure that fire protection regulations are being complied with in establishments that are still in operation. These stricter checks will be in addition to those carried out during authorisation procedures or when issuing licences.

Under the aegis of the ECA, awareness-raising campaigns on fire prevention will be organised for all operators of public establishments and municipal officials in canton Vaud. An analysis will also be carried out of the fire police requirements of the municipalities for all public establishments.

The training currently provided by the ECA, which is compulsory as part of the licensing process, will be expanded.

Reviewing the legal framework

“In order to ensure that the legal framework is solid and clear, the canton will also be carrying out a detailed analysis of the regulatory and legal bases in force. The aim will be to assess any gaps and necessary changes, particularly in relation to the frequency of inspections by municipalities under the LADB [issuing of licences]”, it adds.

In addition to all these measures, the cantonal government has also decided to ban the use of all pyrotechnic devices inside establishments subject to the LADB. It has instructed the Department of the Environment, Youth and Security to propose an amendment to the legal provisions as soon as possible. The terms of application and any exemptions will be discussed with the sector concerned.

Adapted from French by AI/ts

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