Article Contributed on: 2/20/2008 12:03:29 PM
If an emergency can be understood, it can be predicted. If it can be predicted, it can be prevented.
Understanding the disaster at The Station, a Rhode Island nightclub, is simple: a pyrotechnics display that featured a shower of sparks ignited a fire at the base of flammable soundproofing foam.
The exits were unable to handle the ensuing stampede of over 400 frantic and in some cases intoxicated occupants. The fire and stampede killed 100 and injured at least 200 -- 75 percent of the attendees.
The fire started at about 11:08 p.m. on Feb. 20, 2003, as the band Great White began performing. As the sparks shots upward, they ignited the foam beside the drummer. Flames quickly burned upward to the ceiling and smoke, full of vaporized foam and carbon monoxide, billowed onto the dance floor.
A mere 60 seconds after the fireworks ended, according to investigators, the stage was engulfed.
As The Station's fire alarms activated and the fire reached toward the surprised concert goers, a stampede began. The club had four exits, but in an emergency, humans tend to head toward the door they used to enter a building, even if that route causes them to pass other possible exits.
Thick smoke also obscured the signs over the other three exits as the temperature rapidly climbed above 1,000 degrees a mere five feet above the floor.
The stampede overwhelmed the narrow hallway leading to the main entrance. Bodies jammed against each other so tightly that no one could move through the doors.
Four days earlier, 21 people had died in a similar stampede at the E2 Night Club in Chicago, which prompted a local news crew to attend the Great White show for a piece on nightclub safety. Their video of another deadly stampede was a key piece of evidence for investigators.
The first 911 call occurred within one minute of ignition. As firefighters, paramedics, police officers and other responders arrived, they tried freeing people from the gridlocked exits, forcibly pulling them from the pile to safety.
West Warwick firefighters also attacked the inferno with hoselines and master streams.
Although The Station had a fire alarm system, which adequately detected the fire, it should have had a sprinkler system. A sprinkler system -- activated by the heat from the burning packing foam -- would have contained the fire, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
When the owners converted the building from a restaurant to a nightclub, which changed its occupancy classification according to fire code, they should have added the sprinklers.
Some business owners view such requirements as an inconvenience or burden; there's little doubt The Station's 300 victims would think otherwise. That sprinkler system could have saved their lives and prevented their injuries as it extinguished the fire and reduced its heat.
This fire had a direct impact on building and fire codes. Following recommendations from the NIST, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) issued interim amendments to its codes requiring sprinkler systems in all nightclubs that accommodate more than 100 people and providing one crowd manager for every 250 people in attendance to assist with emergency reaction. Other recommendations included restricting the use of flammable materials in furnishing and decorating buildings.
Evergreen Fire/Rescue, the Fire & Life Safety Educators of Colorado and NFPA suggest that people entering any public assembly building (nightclub, church, arena, etc.) prepare themselves for emergencies:
• Take a good look: Is the building in good condition? Are there hazards outside the building? Is the building overcrowded?
• Have a communications plan: Identify a relative or friend to contact in case of emergency or if you get separated from your party.
• Plan a meeting place: In case of separation, everyone will know where to meet.
• Locate the exits immediately: Some exits may be behind you and the main exit may be blocked.
• Locate the life safety equipment: Where is the nearest pull station and fire extinguisher? Are there fire alarms and sprinklers?
• Check for internal hazards: Are candles burning beside flammable materials? Are people smoking? Are exits blocked or chained?
When in doubt, voice your concern to management and leave; as customers we can influence the actions of business owners. If they're not concerned with our safety, we can take our business elsewhere.
History helps us explain why this disaster occurred. With history as a tool, we can predict such emergencies, prevent them and mitigate their consequences.
Sources for this article include the National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Fire Protection Association, Providence Journal, New York Times CNN.com and Wikipedia.