Titanic Belfast evacuation sparks anger

TITANIC Belfast has apologised to visitors who were caught up in an evacuation of the tourist attraction.

Customers in the museum and restaurant were forced to leave the building when the fire alarm was triggered on Friday afternoon.

However, the reason behind the evacuation was not explained — leaving some people feeling disgruntled.

Among them was one man who did not want to be identified, who said: “Hundreds of people had to leave the building.

“Outside it was very cold and there was a bitter wind and people were freezing.

“There were elderly people and people with babies.

“The museum’s staff stood in a group away from the people.

“The staff should have talked with the people to make sure everyone was OK.

“They should have especially donesofortheelderlyandthose with babies.

“I only saw one staff member come over to the edge of where the people were and briefly speak to the very small number of people in front of him.

“When the ‘all clear’ was given to re-enter the museum there was no one standing at the door as people re-entered to apologise for the inconvenience or explain what had happened.

“I thought this would have been appropriate.

“If the building has to be evacuated, it certainly needs to be, but as one of the province’s premier tourist attraction, I thought the staff could have been more informative about what was happening, and could have shown concern about the welfare of everybody owing to the freezing conditions.”

When contacted, a spokeswoman for the attraction said customer feedback was appreciated.

She said that Titanic Belfast had been evacuated due to a triggered fire alarm.

“It prioritises the security of its guests and staff with the utmost importance and as such the building was fully evacuated at 2.30pm until it was established safe to return at 2.50pm,” she added.

“Titanic Belfast understands its duty to ensure safety and customer service and takes great care to ensure these matters are properly managed.

“Its processes and staff training have been developed and tested in line with best practice.

“Titanic Belfast apologises for any inconvenience caused to its customers and will take feedback on board for reviewing its processes.”

❝ The museum’s staff stood in a group away from the people. They should have talked with the people to make sure everyone was OK