Station Nightclub Fire Case Study

The Station nightclub fire occurred on Thursday, February 20, 2003, in West Warwick, Rhode Island. This fire was the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in all of U.S. history. The fire was caused by pyrotechnics set off by the tour manager of the evening’s headlining band Great White, which ignited plastic foam that was used as sound insulation in the walls and ceilings surrounding the stage. A tremendous fast fire with intense black smoke engulfed the club in less than five and a half minutes. The fire was fast to ignite with rapid growth. Unfortunately, the billowing black smoke made escaping impossible. In addition, there was exit blockage that further made evacuation impossible. The toxic smoke, the heat and the stampede of people toward the

The front entrance which had two doors that swung outward, with a ramp and step arrangement was located at the front entrance. A single, outward swinging door was located approximately 6 ft. into the corridor as measured from the front doors. The cross-corridor door was approximately 36 in. wide. The front entrance hall contained two openings into the main portion of the building, one on the bar side of the corridor and the other into the club. The bar and kitchen exits each contained a door 36 in. wide that swung outward. The exit near the platform measured 36 in. wide and contained two doors mounted one interior and one exterior. At the time of the fire, the interior door swung inward, while the metal-clad outer door swung outward and was equipped with panic hardware. All doors had illuminated exit signs. The minimal and narrowness of the escape routes had an impact for both the people inside to manage to get out as well as the fire

Roughly 30 committee members and alternates, as well as survivors of The Station Nightclub, victims’ families, and members of the fire-safety community, gathered to discuss the fire. The committee proposed that NFPA issue emergency code amendments, called Tentative Interim Amendments, or emergency changes to an NFPA document code or standard that occur between the current edition and next edition of that document. These code changes are considered tentative because they have only been approved by the technical committee and NFPA’s Standards Council. The TIAs put into effect the following regulations: fire sprinklers in new nightclubs and similar assembly occupancies and in existing facilities that accommodate more than 100, building owners to inspect exits to ensure they're free of obstructions and to maintain records of each inspection, the presence of at least one trained crowd manager for all gatherings, except religious services, for larger gatherings, additional crowd managers are required at a ratio of 1:250, and prohibit festival seating for crowds of more than 250 unless a life-safety evaluation approved by the authority having jurisdiction has been performed. Festival seating, per NFPA 101, is a form of audience/spectator accommodation in which no seating, other than a floor or ground surface, is provided