Official statement and invitation of THE ASSOCIATION OF ESCAPE ROOM ACTIVITIES OF SLOVENIA GIZ ER.SI regarding a tragic accident in the escape room in Poland, where five teenage girls have lost their lives

On Friday, 4 January, around 17.00 a tragic accident happened in Koszalin, Poland. At the “escape room” venue, a fire broke out in one of the rooms, and five girls aged 15 years lost their lives due to carbon monoxide poisoning. A 25-year-old man was taken to hospital with severe burns. Why, and how the accident happened, are still being investigated. (source: http://time.com/5494472/poland-escape-room-fire/).

The members of the Slovenian Association of the Escape Room Activities GIZ ER.SI would like to extend heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families.

Slovene escape room pioneers (Enigmarium, MindMaze, The Key, Zmajev Tempelj) have been (2016) the first who established an Association with a  mission is to encourage the development of the escape room market and ensure high-quality services and safety standards to prevent any accidents.

Since the opening of the first escape room in 2014 in Ljubljana until now, thousands of players can confirm, that playing an escape game is a safe and fun activity and that there have been no accidents due to following the safety guidelines (and local legislation):

  • Players must be able to leave the game / exit the room at any time – we strongly recommend that you don’t lock them in the room – the point of the game is to solve a mission after all
  • In case the door is locked, a clearly marked “SOS key” or “SOS button” must be installed at a visible place next to the door. Players must be able to open the door and leave the game at any part of the game.
  • If there is a fuel-burning appliance/heater or fireplace in the room e a carbon monoxide alarm must be installed. The personnel must be informed of the procedures of action.
  • Electric gadgets and props operate at a lower voltage (12V).
  • Anything in the room, what is not part of the game, and could cause any danger if not handled properly – is clearly marked as “not part of the game”.
  • The players are informed about the rules, SOS keys and exit options, the “not part of the game” signs and terms and conditions prior to signing the waiver and entering the game.

Members of the Slovenian Association of the Escape Room Activities GIZ ER.SI are strictly following the safety guidelines to ensure that escape room games are a safe and fun activity.

We encourage creators, owners, and managers of escape games all over the world to join the Association to work together – to create, harmonize and adopt ethical and safety guidelines and rules for a complete industry all over the globe and to ensure the best gaming experience for everybody.

Join us – drop us a line:  zdruzenje@escape-room-slovenija.si